Mass Effect: Project Persephone
by GibberingGemstone
Summary: The Illusive Man sends Commander Naomi Shepard to Titan Station, where one of Cerberus' projects has gone horribly wrong. There, Naomi and her teammates quickly find themselves descending into a terrifying nightmare filled with madness and death. Will they be able to survive the brutal onslaught of the necromorphs and their inner demons? Or will they succumb to the Marker's power?
1. Dark Tidings

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

The Illusive Man sends Commander Naomi Shepard to Titan Station, where one of Cerberus' projects has gone horribly wrong. There, Naomi and her teammates quickly find themselves descending into a terrifying nightmare filled with madness and death. Will they be able to survive the brutal onslaught of the necromorphs and their inner demons? Or will they succumb to the Marker's power?

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**Disclaimer! I most certainly do not own either the Mass Effect or Dead Space franchise. I just play the games and write this story :)**

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Hello readers! Welcome and thank you for reading my first fanfiction. This is going to be a crossover story between Mass Effect and Dead Space, and will take place during the second game of both series. This first chapter will mostly be introductory, laying out the plot and providing some background information about Shepard, the Marker etc, but it will also hint at all the bloody good stuff that will definitely follow in later chapters. Cue evil laughter. Now, without further ado, I present to you:

**CHAPTER 1: D**ark Tidings

**Location: Chronos Station, 0450hrs**

The bright holographic display of the Omega 4 Mass Relay spun lazily in front of The Illusive Man, its light casting a red glow upon his face. Casting his eyes downward, he scanned the line of text below the image of the relay, pausing to take a long drag on his cigar.

Start mission report

Reaper IFF successfully acquired.

No casualties.

Normandy now able to proceed through Omega 4 relay.

Ready to assault Collector Base.

End mission report

Feeling immensely satisfied, he exhaled and waved his hand across the hologram, causing it to blink out of existence.

Once again, Commander Naomi Shepard had failed to disappoint him.

With the hologram gone, the room was plunged back into near darkness, the only illumination coming from the dying star outside his giant window. Bathed in its warm glow, The Illusive Man silently sat in his chair, stubbing out his cigar in the ashtray conveniently built into its armrest. He stared impassively outside at the roiling sphere of burning gasses, the occasional jet of super heated air streaking outward from the star's surface.

Soon, the Collector Base and all of the technology and secrets within it would be in Cerberus' hands. The sheer amount of resources which would be acquired and the potential advances to Cerberus' capabilities made The Illusive Man smile just thinking about it.

His thoughts then turned to Shepard, whom he had used a large portion of Cerberus' resources and wealth to bring back to life. She was definitely his most successful investment to date. The headstrong woman had proven to be just as efficient and resourceful after her resurrection, having scored several major victories against the Collectors.

If she ever were to join Cerberus, he would have no doubts about making her his right hand and second in command immediately. Humanity's first Spectre and best soldier would be Cerberus' greatest asset. But he knew that Shepard was still too untrusting of Cerberus to pledge her allegiance to him yet. Apparently, bringing her back from an untimely death didn't make her feel indebted to him in the slightest. If anything, it had only served to make her even more suspicious and wary of him.

It was of no matter, he mused, lighting yet another one of his signature cigars. He was confident that Shepard would eventually see working for Cerberus to be in both their interests, and for the benefit of humanity. Until then, Shepard was comfortably expressing her disdain of associating with Cerberus by spending almost all of her Cerberus funding on pet fish and model ships for her cabin.

Recalling the discussion that he had with Miranda Lawson near the start of Project Lazarus about implanting a control chip in Shepard's brain, part of him now wished that he had not been so quick to dismiss her suggestion, for Shepard could be hard to deal with and reign in at times.

Miranda had helpfully pointed this out to him after a particularly heated mission briefing in which Shepard had vehemently refused to destroy a residential building occupied by hostile mercenaries, not wanting to sacrifice civilians for the mission. The furious Commander, much to the shock of everybody in the briefing room, told The Illusive Man to go to hell, flipping him off spectacularly before terminating the connection. She then proceeded to storm the building one floor at a time, accomplishing the mission with all hostiles terminated and no casualties to either her team or the civilians inside.

As The Illusive Man continued to look out of the window in silent contemplation, he couldn't help but feel amused by Shepard's unique personality. On one hand, she was a brilliant leader, her bravery and combat prowess unmatched, but on the other hand, she could also be unbelievably childish at times, and her occasional blatant disregard for authority had given him migraines that lasted days.

A series of flashes from his omnitool and a notification from his VI assistant directed his attention to the glowing orange interface on his forearm.

"Incoming transmission," a disembodied, female-sounding synthetic voice informed him. "Director of Titan Station, Operative Hans Tiedemann."

At this, The Illusive Man frowned in slight annoyance. Didn't Tiedemann, a senior and high-ranking Cerberus operative, know better than to choose the wee hours of the morning for a project update? Those usually took ridiculously long and The Illusive Man was most definitely not a morning person.

Hoping, for Tiedemann's sake, that he had something good to report, The Illusive Man raised his cigar and took a long, satisfying drag as he waited for the call to be patched through. At the same time, he was formulating a plan for Tiedemann's potential termination. It was certainly not going to be pleasant for the Director if the call turned out to be a waste of his time, or if it was bearing bad news.

Finally, a hologram flickered to life in front of him, revealing a bald, dark-skinned man dressed in a Systems Alliance government uniform. The silver badge on his chest put him as a Station Director, a position of high rank within the Systems Alliance government, in charge of managing an entire space station inhabited by hundreds of thousands of civilians. In Tiedemann's case, his responsibilities also included overseeing one of Cerberus' top-secret projects.

Sifting through his photographic memory, The Illusive Man recalled that Hans Tiedemann was heading the Cerberus cell in charge of Project Persephone. The cell was tasked with reverse-engineering and replicating an ancient alien artifact found on Earth more than a century ago. Dubbed the Black Marker, researchers quickly theorized that it was the actual cause of Earth's fifth Mass Extinction Event. They had found its shattered remains buried in the impact crater of the asteroid supposedly responsible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, and discovered its age to also be approximately 65 million years old. The implications of this discovery led Cerberus to begin the Marker reconstruction project, Project Persephone, in the hopes that such a devastating weapon could eventually be built and wielded by humanity.

The Illusive Man stared intently at the Director, the cold, steely gaze of his prosthetic eyes boring into his subordinate's nervous ones. Hans Tiedemann looked flustered and panicky, shifting his weight from one foot to the other constantly. He also appeared to be sweating profusely. His bald head was shiny and he kept wiping his face with a handkerchief that he stuffed back into his pocket, only to whip it out and repeat the same action a few moments later. Breaking the silence, The Illusive Man exhaled loudly, smoke billowing out of his nose.

"Good morning, Hans. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Taking another quick drag on his cigar, he did not stop scrutinizing Tiedemann, who had managed to compose himself sufficiently in order to start speaking, although anxiety was still evident on his face and body language.

"Sir, we have a...problem with Project Persephone."

Surprisingly, Tiedemann's voice was level for a person who appeared so jumpy. He wiped his face yet again with the now grimy handkerchief as The Illusive Man narrowed his eyes, leaning in closer to the Director's image.

"Elaborate."

"The Marker reconstruction project was a success. We now have a fully functioning Marker."

The slight tilt of the cigar in his right hand was the only indication of surprise from The Illusive Man.

"That hardly seems like a problem."

"Well," Tiedemann swallowed, looking at something over his shoulder before turning his attention back to his superior. "Believe it or not, that _is_ the problem. We had just completed all construction work on the Marker when the whole thing suddenly turned on by itself and started glowing!"

Tiedemann took a deep breath, gripping both sides of his communications console.

"Our initial scans showed that the Marker was emitting an enormous amount of energy, but we could find no interface, no visible way for us to use or issue commands to it! We thought that the Marker would shut down eventually if we left it alone, but as of now, it's been a full 24 hours and it is still glowing! Sir, I am loathe to admit this, but the Marker is completely beyond our control!"

The Illusive Man remained silent as Tiedemann continued to speak, his voice becoming more and more fearful and desperate.

"It started to get worse. Not long after the Marker was activated, there were reports of homicides and suicides coming from all over the station. People were literally attacking and killing each other, hell, I just had to shoot one of my own people right here in this facility! He went berserk and started strangling one of the researchers, but nothing we said could get him to back down! It was as though he had suddenly lost his mind!"

The Illusive Man could now hear other noises coming from behind the Director, making out panicked shouting and the blare of an alarm. "There was widespread panic and looting, everything was getting out of control! I had no choice but to declare martial law."

"We managed to restore some order, started to treat the wounded and clear the dead, but then those...things started appearing and killing everyone on sight!"

"What do you mean by 'things' Hans?" The Illusive Man demanded.

"I don't know!" Tiedemann almost screamed, wiping his face furiously and tossing his handkerchief to the side, no longer trying to remain calm.

"All I know is that dead bodies are coming back to life and attacking every living thing on the station!"

"What-"

"Sir! Listen to me!" Tiedemann shouted urgently, cutting him off. "I have no more time to explain, those freaks are everywhere now. They're going to overrun this facility soon! I have managed to lock down the entire government sector and I'm going to move the Marker and all project personnel there, it's a more defensible position-"

Tiedemann ducked as bursts of gunfire erupted behind him, accompanied by the sound of inhuman howls and terrified screams.

"Shit! They've broken through!" Tiedemann yelled. "All personnel, evacuate! Evacuate now!"

The Illusive Man stubbed out his cigar furiously, grinding it into the ashtray. He could only watch as Tiedemann waved his arm frantically, getting an Alliance Marine in full combat armor to stand behind him and fire at something off the screen, covering him while he resumed his frantic conversation with The Illusive Man.

"There's nothing else that we can do, Sir! We have to evacuate, the whole station is overrun! We need to get the Marker and all project personnel-"

An ear-splitting screech interrupted him, just as the marine behind him was hit by a projectile of incredible speed, being thrown out of view in a huge spray of blood.

"Fuck!" Tiedemann threw himself to the blood-stained ground, snatching up the fallen Marine's assault rifle and firing a burst in the direction of the attack. All around him, the disturbing howls and roars intensified, and soldiers and research personnel could be seen running past Tiedemann's position, falling back to an unseen location.

"YOU listen to me, Hans!" The Illusive Man rose from his seat, almost stabbing the hologram of Tiedemann with an angry finger. "Do not lose the Marker! It's years of research and millions of credits worth of effort! We need that weapon! Do you understand?"

Tiedemann picked himself up from the ground, still firing wildly at whatever that had broken into the facility. He cast a terrified glance at The Illusive Man as he slowly backed away off the screen, firing as he retreated.

"SIR! SEND EVAC TO THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR! WE CAN'T-"

An explosion rocked the facility and the feed cut off abruptly, the sound reverberating throughout The Illusive Man's cavernous command center. Slowly, he sat back down into his seat and lit another cigar, gaze still fixed on where Tiedemann's hologram had been a few moments ago.

He tapped a command into the console on his chair, taking several long drags before making the call.

"Connect me to the Normandy."

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And so it begins! Once again, thanks for reading, do review, let me know what you think and whether you want more! All comments and criticisms are welcome! In the next chapter, Shepard will receive her assignment, and I'll see you guys on Titan Station! Gibbering Gemstone signing out!


	2. Off Course

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

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Hello dear readers, and welcome to the next installment of my Mass Effect and Dead Space crossover. I would like to give a big thanks to all those who reviewed, I really appreciate it and it helps motivate me to write!

Now, this chapter will feature two parts. The first being the calm before the storm, introducing Shepard's crew and the mission briefing by everyone's favorite Illusive Man. The second part will be their approach and descent to Titan Station, complete with Shepard's first chilling encounter with the Marker. Now that your curiosity has been piqued, read on:

**CHAPTER 2: O**ff Course

**Location: Normandy SR2, 0600hrs**

"Come on, Miranda!"

"No, Commander."

"Pretty please?"

"Commander..." The raven-haired biotic let out a sigh of exasperation.

"Aww ish Mirwandwa shcared?" Commander Naomi Shepard pouted, her emerald-green eyes filled with mischief as she taunted her XO.

"How old are you again?"

"Well..." Naomi tilted her head to look at the ceiling, one finger tapping her chin and face scrunched up in an exaggerated expression of thought.

Miranda rolled her eyes. "You weren't supposed to answer that, Commander."

Naomi grinned, putting her hands on her hips. "Miranda, we're about to go on a suicide mission and you're worried about losing at a card game?"

"If you haven't noticed, Commander, all I have to do is lose one round and I'll be completely and utterly naked." As she said this, Miranda gestured to the delicious, figure-hugging Cerberus bodysuit she wore. "Besides, I'm terrible at poker. That's hardly fair and I'm sure nobody on this ship wants to see me nude."

"We do!" The rest of Shepard's crew shouted from outside her door.

Miranda groaned, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

Naomi placed a comforting hand on her XO's shoulder, guiding her out of her office to the cheers and applause of the Normandy's motley crew.

"Don't worry Miranda," she giggled," we'll go easy on you..."

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**15 minutes later...**

"Bitch."

The smile on Miranda's face grew even wider as she revealed her hand with a flourish.

"Bitch!" Naomi cursed again as cheers erupted all over the Normandy's briefing room, now temporarily re-purposed into a venue for strip poker.

"You were lying. You were lying all along. You ARE good at poker," Naomi said sourly, throwing her losing hand on the table.

"What can I say, Commander? You walked right into this one." Miranda was looking as smug as the queen of diamonds she was holding in her royal flush.

Apparently, when Miranda's father genetically engineered her, he had given her the genes of a poker god.

"Take it off!" Joker bellowed from across the room. More raucous laughter ensued and several voices shouted in agreement, making Naomi smile and raise both her hands in surrender.

She had proposed a night of strip poker for the entire crew to relax and unwind before they charged off through the Omega 4 relay for their heroic and most-likely-suicidal mission, and had been met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Her entire team was assembled in the briefing room, some as players and others as spectators, but all of them were in a boisterous mood. Laughing, cheering, and jeering, they left all the stress and tension of the past few weeks behind them.

Naomi swelled with pride as she cast her gaze upon each and every one of her loyal crew. All of them had started out as strangers and for some, even enemies, but the bonds that they had forged were unbreakable now. They were all comrades, friends, and in a quirky and dysfunctional way, family. They were all willing to follow her to hell and never come back. And now, smiling wryly as she observed their eager faces, all of them couldn't wait for her to get topless.

Joker, being the colossal pervert that he was, had instantly agreed to play. The chance to see his hot Commanding Officer and, dare he say, even hotter XO totally butt-naked was too good to pass up. Right now, he was still fully-clothed, save for his trademark cap which he had lost to Jacob. Seeing Shepard clad only in her underwear and preparing to remove her bra now that she had lost the round...had he died and gone to heaven? The Normandy's pilot was grinning so widely that Naomi began to worry for his cheekbones. Joker's Vrolik Syndrome however, appeared to be the last thing on his mind as he half-rose from his chair, cupping both hands to his mouth and repeated his earlier demand of "Take it off!"

Legion was standing behind Joker, watching with a curious tilt of its head as the organics shed their exterior coverings and threw pieces of printed cardboard at each other. The Geth opted to be a spectator of this strange ritual, having declined Shepard-Commander's request for it's participation. It had informed Shepard-Commander that "Removal of this unit's exterior coverings and/or appendages will lead to decreased functionality and critical systems failure. This unit believes that passive observation will be a much more desirable alternative." When Naomi then teasingly asked Legion if all it wanted was to observe naked organics, its eye-flaps raised and lowered rapidly before replying swiftly with "No data available."

Grunt joined in with Joker, enthusiastically chanting "Shepard! Shepard! Shepard!" at the top of his four lungs as he banged his meaty fists on the table, making loud and satisfying crunching sounds. He had picked up the rules of the game surprisingly fast and had even won a few rounds, the craters on the battered briefing room table indicative of where he had slammed down his winning hands. The young Krogan super soldier had no idea why the entire crew was so interested in looking underneath his Battle Mistress' clothing. Could it be that Shepard was hiding an awesome new weapon capable of mass destruction? Garrus had chuckled in response to his question, mandibles twitching in amusement before replying "Oh yes, Shepard definitely has weapons under there. Two of them. Big ones too." His curiosity now piqued, Grunt continued his chant, now louder than before if that was even possible.

Samara had smiled, politely declining Naomi's offer but agreeing to watch the game. She spoke of her Justicar code and Naomi respectfully nodded in understanding. She did, however, express a great deal of interest in the game. "Maybe if I was much younger," Samara had said, with what Naomi swore to be a sultry look on her face.

Jack was seated next to Grunt and had lost her top long ago. The males of the Normandy were quickly disappointed however, to discover that due to all the tattoos adorning the psychotic biotic's skin, it was impossible to see any of her fun bits. "Come on Shepard! Take those balls outta your pussy and show us the good stuff!" She hollered, pointing with both middle fingers at her chest. Naomi laughed and flipped her off, Jack immediately returning the favor with a big smirk on her face.

Tali was spectating for obvious reasons. Leaning against the glass wall of the briefing room, the Quarian woman raised a hand to her helmet's visor, trying to shield her eyes from the embarrassing sight in front of her. Her fellow shipmates were just stripping in front of her...and it was all part of a game! As a Quarian, such a thing was unheard of...not to mention suicidal! Humans and some of their recreational activities were strange indeed. "Keelah..." Tali murmured, especially amazed at how Shepard didn't seem to mind that she was about to expose herself to her crew. She was all-smiles and laughter for Rannoch's sake! However, her curiosity soon got the better of her and Tali slowly found herself peeking over her three-fingered hands.

Zaeed currently had his feet propped up on the table, his harsh barking laughter totally befitting his 'grizzled mercenary' appearance. The bounty hunter had agreed readily to the game of strip poker, slapping Naomi roughly on the back and making her stumble. "Well, well, well, Shepard! You're just full of surprises aren't you?" He had chuckled, both his mismatched eyes roaming over her body and grunting in approval. "You never struck me as that kind of gal...always thought you were a sweet and innocent bonnie lass..."

Jacob was only left with his black, yellow and white Cerberus boxers, and his muscular upper torso was in full display, much to the delight of the female crew members. When the biotic soldier had taken off his shirt and revealed those marvelous abs and chiseled chest, Kasumi squealed, Tali almost fainted from embarrassment, Miranda let out a small "oh" and started smiling to herself, and Naomi had tried to look away, laughing nervously when Jacob caught her staring. Yes, he was that hot.

Kasumi, much to everyone's surprise, had also ended up in her underwear. She was the expert on sabotage, infiltration, extraction, property acquisition, stealth and agile combat, but she just could not keep a straight poker face. Not that any of the men were complaining of course. Upon seeing Kasumi slipping out of her suit, Joker's eyes had gone wide and asked "Why does every woman on the Normandy have to look so damn attractive?" in mock exasperation. Naomi observed that the master thief looked nervous and shy without her hood, smiling coyly as she held her cards close to her chest. Or perhaps it was just because Jacob, the object of her desires, was seated next to her in a similar state of undress.

Thane was quiet as usual, competing with Samara and Legion for being the most composed individual in the room. Naomi felt that he was probably the best poker player among the Normandy's crew as well. The stoic Drell assassin's face never betrayed any emotion as he played his cards and collected his spoils, which included her N7 hoodie jacket, Jacob's pants, Garrus' visor and Grunt's shoulder guards. Thane met her gaze and nodded, smiling softly in encouragement as most of the crew began to echo Grunt's chant, the noise in the room making the glass walls vibrate.

Naomi raised her hands again, calling for calm. "Alright, alright! Don't worry you horny bastards, I'll do it!" She said, half-laughing at her crew's antics.

Taking a deep breath, Naomi stood up and reached behind her back, the crew waiting silently with bated breath.

Seated next to her, Garrus gave her the Turian equivalent of a smirk. Naomi glowered at him, resisting the urge to smack him about the head and wipe that look off his face. Garrus, the magnificent bastard, had folded almost every single round so as to avoid losing his clothes. "Be brave, Shepard." Her Turian lover reached up and patted her arm. "It'll all be over soon. Besides, it's not as though they are...how do I put this...inadequate?"

"Laugh it up, Vakarian. It's nothing you haven't seen before."

The crew let out a collective "Ooooohhhh".

"Would like to remind crew of important fact," Mordin suddenly spoke, rapid-fire style as always. "Shepard's body mostly an artificial reconstruction. Unlikely that Shepard's breasts natural. Most probably silicone, however, looks similar to real skin. Perhaps even real, possibly regrown from cells. Wonder if breasts have working milk glands. Would like to run tests."

A shocked silence descended over the room and its occupants. Miranda and Jacob looked especially uncomfortable. Joker's mouth was hanging open. Tali now had both hands over her visor. Samara chuckled to herself. Legion raised an eye flap. Zaeed's bad eye twitched. Grunt looked stunned. Kasumi giggled uncontrollably. Thane raised an eyebrow.

"MORDIN!" Naomi whined, crossing her arms over her chest. She was flabbergasted. Never had she stopped to consider that her 'things' may not even be hers to begin with.

"I still love you," Garrus said helpfully.

"Ahhh!" The Normandy's crew cringed as their Commander shrieked, grabbing handfuls of her red hair in distress.

Mordin looked down guiltily. "Just thought that crew should know," the Salarian scientist muttered.

"Does this mean that you're not going to show us anymore, Commander?" Joker deadpanned, but even that failed to resolve the awkward situation which had just transpired.

Just as Naomi was wondering how on Earth she would be getting out of this one with her remaining dignity intact, EDI came to her rescue. The AI appeared in her usual form of a blue sphere on the briefing room table, shifting everyone's attention from the poor Commander who was still frozen in her distressed pose, both hands clutching the sides of her head.

"Commander, you have an incoming call from The Illusive Man. He has marked it as urgent."

Naomi inwardly let out a sigh of relief and begrudgingly sent a silent thanks to The Illusive Man for his impeccable timing. "Alright, EDI, patch him through. The rest of you, disperse!" At her command, the crew hurriedly sprang out of their seats, making a beeline for the exit. Grunt refused to wait for the door, simply lowering his head and bashing through the glass wall, sending glass confetti raining down. This elicited a long string of curses and shouts from the others and only added to the chaos as they stumbled out of the room, throwing back articles of clothing to their respective owners as they did so. Just as the last of her crew had left, Naomi suddenly remembered that she was still in her underwear and had already asked EDI to put The Illusive Man through.

"Oh shit!"

She dove under the wrecked table, snatching up her discarded pants and shirt. She slipped the shirt on quickly enough, but her pants were less cooperative. Naomi looked up from trying to force her other leg into the tight Cerberus pants and realized with horror that The Illusive Man's hologram was already forming on the table. Any second now, he would literally be catching her with her pants down and she had no intention of treating that creep to a free show. Thankfully, Naomi managed to get her leg in at the last second, pulling up her pants just as The Illusive Man appeared on the table. He stared at her, his expression unreadable as she fastened the last button, grabbing the bottom of her shirt and pulling it over the top of her pants before finishing off by sweeping her red bangs out of her flushed face.

"Shepard," The Illusive Man began, taking a drag of his cigar. He looked around the room, observing the devastation that had befallen it. Naomi took this opportunity to sweep the remaining poker cards off the table before he could see them, snapping back to attention when he returned his cold gaze back to her.

"What do you want, Illusive Man?" Naomi said quickly, not wanting him to start questioning her about the state of the room. At the same time, her mind began to work furiously, trying to come up with an excuse in the event that he did. Blame it on Miranda and Jack getting into an argument? Yeah, that'll be good. Blaming Miranda will be awesome. She couldn't wait to see The Illusive Man's expression when he hears that-

"-and the entire station has gone dark," The Illusive Man finished, stubbing out his cigar.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that," Naomi said, feeling extremely embarrassed for not paying attention. Her face flushed as The Illusive Man seemed to do a double take, his cybernetic eyes boring into her own. She offered him a small, meek smile as he pinched the bridge of his nose and lit up another cigar.

"One of Cerberus' projects has met with some problems," The Illusive Man began again. "I need you to recover the research team's project before it is lost."

"What is this project exactly?" Naomi asked, now deadly serious. "And why is it in danger of being 'lost'? Is some research facility under attack?"

The Illusive Man took several puffs on his cigar, remaining silent and appearing to organize his thoughts. Naomi frowned. "Look, as much as I want to help save lives, I'm not exactly feeling much love for Cerberus. If you can't give me good, detailed information, if you aren't truthful with me like on the mission to retrieve the Reaper IFF, I have no intention of helping you to recover your precious project. I have put both myself and my crew in enough danger for you."

"I understand your concerns, Shepard," The Illusive Man finally replied, flicking some ash from his cigar into the ashtray on his chair. "Which is why I'll be honest with you. This project is far too important for Cerberus and Humanity to lose."

Naomi folded her arms, looking doubtful. "I'm listening."

"The project is called Project Persephone. Over a century ago, Cerberus found an ancient alien artifact on Earth. We called it the Black Marker and theorized that it was a weapon of mass destruction responsible for wiping out the dinosaurs. We recovered its remains and studied it, and begun to construct one of our own."

"That's crazy," Naomi bit out. "Even if this is true, you have no idea what the Black Marker is capable of! You could be endangering countless of lives-"

The Illusive Man waved his hand to dismiss her outburst. "Have a little faith in myself and Cerberus, Shepard. Sacrifices have to be made in order for Humanity to progress." The two of them glared at each other before The Illusive Man continued, getting up from his chair. "The project was successful in creating a copy of the Black Marker and the researchers managed to activate it a few days ago. However, there were some complications which arose after it was activated. Now, before you jump to any conclusions, we still have no confirmation or concrete evidence that the Marker was responsible for the events which followed."

"What happened?" Naomi asked, already getting a bad feeling about where this was going.

"Suicides, homicides and other unexplainable acts of violence," The Illusive Man explained. "Many of the people on the station suddenly became violent, and the situation there is chaotic and uncontrollable. We lost contact with the research team soon after they contacted me requesting for evacuation off the station. It is likely that the authorities have lost control of all infrastructure."

"Wait. Where did you build this Marker?" There was a sinking feeling in her stomach when she heard the words 'station', 'many' and 'people'.

"The research facility was located on Titan Station, Shepard. I'm sure you have heard of it. The Station Director is one of Cerberus' operatives and he oversaw the project from day one." The Illusive Man raised and lowered his cigar to his lips, taking a quick drag.

Naomi clenched her fists. Searching through her memories, she recalled that Titan Station was a large civilian space station built on the remnants of Saturn's largest moon. It was also the center of Humanity's deep space mining operations, of which the Concordance Extraction Corporation was the main player. This company owned the largest mining vessels in the galaxy, which were rumored to rival the Alliance Navy's dreadnoughts in size. The planet crackers, as they were called, docked at and departed from Titan Station, making their way through the Charon relay in the Sol System to uninhabited alien worlds rich in resources. There, they literally break apart the planet's crust, lifting entire chunks off the surface, stripping the entire planet of its resources for the rest of Humanity to use.

But all that wasn't important. Naomi began to think of the hundreds of thousands of civilians that must be trapped on the station, at the mercy of Cerberus' project. Even though The Illusive Man refused to admit it, Naomi knew that this Marker definitely had something to do with the situation on the station. The fact that Cerberus was endangering the lives of all these civilians, all for their selfish pursuit of power, made her blood boil.

"You people are unbelievable," Shepard snarled, pointing a finger at The Illusive Man who remained expressionless. "Do you realize how many people will lose their lives all because of your stupid project?"

Cerberus' enigmatic leader chose to ignore her question, his cold indifference to the point that she had just brought up making her even angrier. "In that case Shepard, I am glad to hear that you have an added incentive to leave for Titan Station immediately. Rescue as many of the civilians as you wish, but you have to ensure that the Marker is recovered. According to the last transmission I received from my operatives, the Marker is in the Government Sector, which they have locked down for...security reasons. You will have to find your own way inside. As for the research team, they have become expendable at this point. I only need the Marker and any other research data that you can find."

Naomi cursed, knowing that The Illusive Man had pressed all her right buttons. With civilians in the equation she could not refuse the mission. As for the Marker, she already had half a mind to blow the fucking thing up once she found it, The Illusive Man's research be damned. To make things even worse, she could not even turn to the Citadel Council or the Systems Alliance for assistance. Being part of Cerberus now, on a Cerberus-marked vessel, they wouldn't even wait to ask questions before swooping in to intercept the Normandy and arrest her. Growling, she slammed her hands on the table in frustration.

"Alright, Illusive Man. I'll go get your Marker, but the civilians will be my top priority, you got that? Now, is there anything else I should know?"

"Nothing other than what I have just told you, Shepard."

She scanned The Illusive Man's face for any trace of lies but it was a futile effort. He was a master of his emotions and now, he allowed none to be shown on his darkly handsome face. Nodding slowly, Naomi turned to leave.

"Good luck, Shepard." The Illusive Man sat back down as his hologram slowly faded away. On the other end of the channel, The Illusive Man was considering whether to tell Shepard about the reanimated corpses attacking the station but ultimately, he chose not to. Stubbing out his cigar, he was confident that Shepard and her team would be able to deal with them. They had dealt with everything that the Collectors and the Reapers had thrown at them, why would these new foes, whatever they were, be any different? Still, the very idea of the dead coming back to life was a troubling one and had genuinely disturbed him. Puffing on a new cigar and shrouded in the darkness of his command center, The Illusive Man decided to leave it to Shepard to figure things out. She always did.

* * *

**Location: Normandy SR2, 1115hrs**

"We are approaching Titan Station, Commander," Joker reported, his hands flying over the glowing orange interfaces of the Normandy's cockpit, a series of bleeps and bloops accompanying his actions. "Exiting FTL and activating stealth systems...now!" The Normandy lurched slightly as it decelerated to normal space-faring speeds, the blue, wispy streaks which were a characteristic of FTL travel outside the viewports disappeared and were replaced by the inky darkness of space. The huge shape of Saturn and its famed rings came into view.

As the Normandy continued on its current course to a giant shard of rock on the edge of the planet's rings, the only remaining piece of Titan after it was cracked for resources decades ago, Naomi could make out Titan Station in the distance and the sight of it took her breath away. She realized that it was simply massive, even larger than she had imagined, feeling like a little girl setting her eyes on the Citadel for the first time. Just how many people were on that thing?

"EDI, scan for any outgoing communications. Let's see if we can get an idea of what exactly is going on."

"Yes, Commander," EDI replied. "Scanning...there are no outgoing communications. There is only an official station status broadcast originating from the Government Sector. According to the broadcast, all is well on the station and the communications blackout is due to a scheduled maintenance of the Communications Hub. All communications will be restored shortly."

"You know what I think, Commander?" Joker asked, looking over his shoulder at Naomi. "I think The Illusive Man's people blocked all the communications and put out that false broadcast to make the Alliance think that nothing's wrong. Those sons of bitches didn't want the Alliance to investigate and discover their Marker or whatever their project was."

Naomi nodded in agreement. "Exactly what I was thinking, Joker. Trying to cover things up just doomed everyone on this station...Cerberus has a lot to pay for." She let out a sigh. "Try to raise the port authorities and find a place where we can dock the Normandy. We need to get down there and start evacuating people as soon as possible."

After a few minutes of trying to establish communications to the spaceport, Joker shook his head. "Communications to and from the station are all blocked, Commander. The starport is in the Government Sector and appears to be locked down as well. Looks like Cerberus didn't want anyone leaving the station to blab about the Marker either."

Holding back a colorful string of curses directed at Cerberus and The Illusive Man, Naomi settled for a frustrated sigh. "Alright then. Looks like we're going in by shuttle. EDI, tell the crew to suit up and meet me in the hangar. Joker, after you have dropped us off, circle the station and look for escape pods or other vessels which may have managed to escape the station. Pick up any survivors that you find."

"Aye aye, Commander," Joker replied and stood up, turning to face Naomi before saluting her. There was a seriousness on his face which she had never seen before, and his eyes had none of their usual mischievous glint. "Be careful down there." He said, his voice full of concern.

Naomi nodded, smiling brightly as she returned the salute. "Yes, Flight Lieutenant Sir!" she answered like a recruit fresh out of boot camp.

Joker took his seat, laughing as he readjusted his cap. "That's my girl..."

Naomi turned to leave the cockpit, but not before looking back and catching Joker's gaze one more time. "I'll be back before you know it, Joker," she assured him with another smile before the closing door blocked her from his view.

* * *

**10 Minutes later...**

Naomi snapped the last pieces of her combat heavy armor onto her torso, retrieving her weapons from her locker and slipping them into their respective slots on her gear. On went her assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun and heavy pistol, as well as grenades and a large complement of thermal clips for her arsenal. She was a Soldier, and was armed to teeth with weapons for every type of confrontation. She took a look around her and could see her team arming themselves, getting ready for the upcoming mission which was going to be the biggest one that they had ever attempted so far. This time, everyone was coming along for the ride.

Closing her locker door, Naomi marched over to the center of the hangar where a UT-47 Kodiak Drop Shuttle painted in Cerberus colors was parked, her helmet tucked under her left arm.

"Attention people! Final mission briefing now!" Naomi yelled. "EDI, bring up your long-range topographical scans of the station."

Grunt, Jacob, Samara, Miranda, Legion, Thane, Mordin, Garrus, Tali, Zaeed, Jack and Kasumi all stood facing their Commander as EDI projected a hologram model of Titan Station in front of them.

Naomi gave her thanks to the AI and, having already familiarized herself with the layout of the station before coming down to the hangar, wasted no time in approaching the model to begin her mission brief. "Okay people, listen up. Titan Station is built on the last remaining fragment of Titan, one of Saturn's moons." She pointed to the large rock in the hologram, and then to the semicircle encircling it. A series of giant solar and communication arrays jutted out from the semicircle at regular intervals, forming yet another ring around the rock. "That semicircle is the Public Sector. This is where our civilians are at." Her finger moved back to the rock shard in the middle and highlighted a small cluster of buildings on the rock itself. "This is the Government Sector, the heart of Titan Station. This is also where the Marker is located." Her team nodded, Naomi having already briefed them about Project Persephone and the situation on the station before they made the jump to the Sol System.

"Right now, the whole Government Sector has been locked down. We can't land the Normandy or a shuttle in there. Therefore, we have no choice but to start in the Public Sector. Now, the only thing connecting the two sectors together are these." Naomi highlighted three large tubes between the rock and the semicircle on the hologram. "These 'crossover tubes' are our ticket into the Government Sector, but they have also been sealed off. We'll worry about those later."

Looking up at her team, Naomi saw that they were giving her their full, undivided attention, and she observed that all of their expressions were serious and grim. The prospect of entering and having to somehow evacuate an entire station filled with insane, violent inhabitants was a daunting one...and the cause of their madness being a reverse-engineered alien artifact which they had to retrieve and bring aboard the Normandy? This was definitely not a mission which they all felt comfortable or confident about.

"As you all know, the Marker is not our primary objective." Naomi paused as she glanced at Miranda, who looked like she was about to say something but stopped herself at the last moment. "The evacuation of the civilians are."

Jacob raised a hand. "That's an awful lot of people, Commander. Even if we could round them up and get them organized, how are we going to get them off the station?"

Naomi smiled. "I was hoping that someone would ask. EDI's long-range scans also picked up a planet cracker class mining vessel docked in the Public Sector. For those of you who do not know, planet crackers are big ass ships. Like, really big ass. Like Grunt." This managed to lighten the mood somewhat, the laughter of different species filling the Normandy's hangar. "Anyway," Naomi steered everyone's attention back to the mission, "I'm sure this one could serve as our evacuation transport."

"That's a fine plan Shepard, but given that the ship is not at the starport and instead in the Public Sector, perhaps it is undergoing repairs and is not space-worthy yet," Tali said worriedly.

Naomi nodded in understanding. "Agreed, Tali. But if you could get on that ship, would you be able to finish the repairs, if there are any?"

The Quarian Engineer adopted a thinking posture, nodding after some brief consideration. "I can try, Shepard. I'll have to start from the bridge though, try to find blueprints and run systems diagnostics..."

"We would be willing to assist Creator Tali'zorah in the repairs," Legion spoke up, its flash-light head swiveling to look at Tali.

"Perfect." Naomi turned back to the hologram of Titan Station.

"My plan is to break us up into different squads." She began, drawing arrows on the hologram model with her finger. "This is so that we can split up, cover more ground and save more people. All of us will take the shuttle to the Transport Hub in the Public Sector and once there, we will separate. Each group will take the tram to a different district, find whatever survivors you can and bring them back by tram to the Transportation Hub. Then, we will send them off to the planet cracker and fly them out of the station. After all that, then we worry about recovering the Marker. Understood?"

There were murmurs of agreement all around, and everyone looked visibly more assured about the coming mission. Naomi smiled, glad that she had been able to inspire some confidence in her team by giving them a clear plan to follow.

"Now, without further ado, I'm going to organize you into your squads."

* * *

**Alpha Squad - **Shepard, Miranda and Garrus** (Evacuating the hospitals)**

**Bravo Squad - **Legion, Tali and Jacob** (Repairing the planet cracker)**

**Charlie Squad - **Mordin, Jack and Thane** (Evacuating residential district)**

**Delta Squad - **Grunt, Samara and Zaeed** (Evacuating commercial district)**

**Echo Squad on the Normandy - **Kasumi, Joker and EDI** (Picking up survivors in escape pods/vessels)**

* * *

**Location: Titan Station, 1135 hrs**

The shuttle made its way to the coordinates of the Transport Hub with Jacob at the helm. As they drew nearer, its occupants could see the huge skyscrapers and towers of the Public Sector looming into view and stretching all the way into the horizon, with Saturn serving as the backdrop. Naomi was sullen as she looked around at all the colossal structures, knowing deep down that there was no way they would be able to find and rescue all the survivors. The scale of the station was just too large for her small team to handle and they just didn't have the time. They had limited ammunition to deal with an unknown number of insane hostiles and sooner or later, the Alliance would come and investigate. The Normandy and the Marker absolutely had to leave before then.

"Most of the lights are still on. That's promising," Garrus observed, placing a reassuring hand on Naomi's shoulder. "Don't worry, Shepard, it looks like there are still plenty of crazy, murderous lunatics for us to save."

"Thanks for the pep talk, Vakarian," Naomi grinned.

"He who defends everything, defends nothing," added Miranda with a smile. Naomi nodded while Garrus scratched his head with a talon, looking absolutely clueless.

Zaeed laughed loudly and Jack smirked. "Well, what do you know? The cheerleader said something smart for once."

Miranda scowled, getting ready to retort. She didn't get the chance however, as a loud explosion rocked the shuttle, throwing everyone violently to the left side. Naomi grunted as she was thrown against Legion, the least comfortable thing to land on. The Geth helped to steady her as alarms wailed and sparks flew all around the cabin, the shuttle's nose was dipping and it was losing altitude fast. She could smell burning at the back of the shuttle and smoke was filling the cabin.

"Jacob!" She yelled above the noise, struggling to the front of the shuttle. "Report! What just hit us?"

Jacob was fighting for control of the plummeting shuttle, his face slick with sweat as he worked feverishly at the controls. "I don't know, Commander! But thrusters are critically damaged. We're going down!"

"Are we near the Transport Hub?" Naomi scanned the viewport, trying to find a location where Jacob could make a safe crash-landing.

Jacob pointed to a large, domed building which had what appeared to be several tram tracks leading out from it. "Already trying to land there, Commander! I'll try to put us down on one of the tracks!"

"Shepard!" Tali's panicked voice called out from behind. "There's a gunship and it's right behind us!"

Naomi whipped her head around and scrambled back into the shuttle cabin to see Tali gesturing to the video screen in the cabin. It was connected to the cameras on all four sides of the shuttle and was now displaying the rear view. Although the screen was cracked and flickering, and the shuttle was shaking violently, Naomi could clearly make out the shape of a Systems Alliance gunship, weaving its way through the buildings as it flew after the shuttle. There was no doubt that it was responsible for the earlier attack.

Suddenly, two bright flashes could be seen and the gunship veered away off the screen. Oh crap.

"Jacob!" Naomi screamed, rushing to the front of the shuttle and grabbing his shoulder. "That gunship just fired two missiles at us! Evasive maneuvers, NOW!"

"I can't! I have no control!" Jacob was trying desperately to get the shuttle to respond. "All thrusters have completely shut down, we are without power!"

The shuttle continued on its fiery descent toward the Transport Hub as the proximity alarms began to sound. Naomi cursed. Well, if they couldn't avoid the missiles...

"Jack! Get a biotic field around this shuttle!" She shouted over her shoulder.

"You got it, baby doll!" The tattooed biotic grit her teeth, standing in the middle of the shuttle with her arms spread out, palms facing outward. Something like blue fire erupted around her body as her biotics flared. A blue sphere of energy grew outward from where she stood, growing and expanding to envelope the entire shuttle. As it passed through her body, Naomi felt her skin tingle and saw the walls of the shuttle taking on a shimmering blue hue, evidence that Jack's biotic field was now active and protecting the shuttle.

Naomi looked through the viewport again to see how close the Transport Hub was. The shuttle was now on course to land on one of the tram tracks. Just a little more!

"Brace yourselves!" Jacob bellowed as the proximity alarm turned into a constant, high-pitched whine.

A second later, the two missiles slammed into Jacks's biotic field and exploded with devastating force. The field immediately deflected and absorbed most of the damage before fizzling out, as Jack was sent stumbling by the blast, her concentration broken. The force of the explosion sent the shuttle completely off course, flipping it over and over as it spun wildly towards the domed roof of the Transport Hub. It struck the roof, plowing through it with a deafening screech of shearing metal and shattering glass before plunging down and crashing into the ground floor of the building.

Naomi wasn't seated like the rest and was standing right behind Jacob in the cramped cockpit when the shuttle crashed. The impact flung her forward, head-first into the viewport. There was a crack, a bone-jarring impact, and then there was nothing but darkness.

* * *

Naomi's eyes flew open. The first things she felt was a pillow behind her head and soft sheets wrapped around her naked body. Blinking in confusion, she propped herself up on the bed and took in the familiar surroundings of her personal quarters on the Normandy.

"What the hell?" What was going on? Why was she back on the Normandy? Wasn't she on Titan Station?

Naomi scanned the room, her heart stopping and the breath catching in her throat when she realized that there was someone on the bed next to her. The figure was that of a human male, muscular and well-built. He was half-covered by the sheets and facing away from her, but Naomi could very clearly make out black hair and the strong outline of his jaw. She remained very still, clutching the sheets to her chest, her heart racing as the figure stirred and shifted in his sleep.

Finally, the figure turned over. Naomi almost screamed, her eyes wide and staring. No, it can't be him. It just wasn't possible. The man she was now facing was supposed to be dead. He had died two years ago on Virmire.

Kaiden Alenko smiled at her. "Morning, sweetheart."

Naomi was unable to move, unable to speak. Kaiden scooted closer to her, running a hand through her hair and gently stroking her cheek. Her mind screamed that all this was impossible, that she was dreaming, but all this felt so real. And it felt so right. This was exactly how Kaiden used to comfort her, how he used to greet her in the mornings when he spent the night with her. Maybe this was reality, her death and everything that happened after that all part of a long and terrible nightmare from which she was just waking up from.

"What's the matter, Naomi? You look troubled." Kaiden whispered softly into her ear, planting soft kisses on her cheek and along her neck, his arms wrapping around her body and holding her close. Naomi melted into his embrace, eyes closing in bliss at the contact. All her doubts and fears began to slip away, and she began to allow herself to hope and believe that, perhaps, this was real after all.

Her body tingled with pleasure as Kaiden's hands began to roam expertly along it, running down her back and stopping at her waist, before reversing direction and travelling slowly upwards to her chest...

Suddenly, Kaiden shoved her forward onto the bed, making her yelp in surprise. Naomi's eyes flew open as Kaiden straddled her, pinning both her arms to the bed with his knees. His hands shot forward, grabbing hold of her around the neck and he began to apply pressure, cutting off her air supply.

Naomi gasped and choked, fear coursing though her entire body. Kaiden was strangling her! Why was he trying to kill her? Why was he doing this? She writhed and struggled underneath him, her legs kicking and flailing but the man on top of her was simply too strong and he had her pinned. Kaiden's face was an expression of pure hatred as he leaned in close to stare at her desperate, pleading face, his eyes burning with anger as he increased the pressure on her neck. Tears started to form in Naomi's eyes as the pain on her neck and in her lungs intensified, her vision slowly becoming dark and blurry.

"Why?" She managed to choke out, her struggles diminishing and her body becoming limp. She didn't want to die like this, being killed by the man she loved.

"YOU KILLED ME! YOU TOLD ME TO DIE!" Kaiden roared as he dug his fingers into her neck, his biotics flaring.

Naomi gave a strangled scream with her last breath as his fingers tore through her neck, sending blood spurting all over the bed. She gagged, trying and failing to draw breath, blood gurgling out of her mouth and ruined throat as her eyes remained wide and staring. Kaiden grasped her head in both of his bloodied hands, screaming three haunting words into her face.

"MAKE US WHOLE!"

* * *

And that concludes chapter 2. Shepard gets her first terrifying Marker vision! What will happen to her and her team now that they are on Titan Station? Stay tuned, and please, review! Tell me anything you want, ideas, opinions, everything and anything. None shall be ignored, and all shall feel my love! Gibbering Gemstone, signing out!


	3. Subway Assault, part 1

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

Hello my dear readers! Once again, many thanks to all those who have read, reviewed and favourited! They make me all happy and tingly inside :) Well, enough about that, here's chapter 3! Unleash the Necromorphs! Rawr.

**CHAPTER 3: S**ubway Assault, part 1

**Location: Titan Station Transport Hub, 1200hrs**

Naomi gasped awake, her entire body jerking. Her hand instantly flew to her throat, her heart hammering in her chest. Slowly, she felt and massaged her neck, which was still disturbingly raw and painful where Kaiden had strangled her, but was otherwise intact. Kaiden...Naomi froze, turning to take in her surroundings, the terrifying memories of her dead boyfriend murdering her in cold blood still fresh in her mind.

She appeared to be propped up against the wall of the cabin, inside of the crashed shuttle. With a barely suppressed sigh of relief, she found herself back on Titan Station. There were small fires and shattered pieces of metal and equipment all around her, and the shuttle had apparently caused an impressive impact crater when it smashed into the Transport Hub floor. And speaking of the Transport Hub...Naomi tilted her head upwards, looking through the jagged hole where the top of the shuttle should have been, and saw the domed roof of their landing zone. Or what was left of it.

Despite the lingering shock in her system, Naomi allowed herself a wry smile as she observed the comical, vaguely shuttle-shaped hole in the ceiling. "Talk about making an entrance...literally," she muttered, shaking her head and immediately getting a sharp stab of pain through her skull, making her cry out and collapse onto the ground. Naomi grasped hold of her head, squeezing her eyes shut as her head felt like it was being crushed in a vice. She cried out again as the pain intensified, making her curl up into a fetal position. It was on a level that she had never experienced or felt before. Unable to bear the agonizing pain any longer, she screamed at the top of her lungs, begging and pleading for it to stop...

"COMMANDER!"

And just as suddenly as it had come, the pain disappeared.

"COMMANDER!" Naomi opened her eyes when she felt hands on her shoulders. Hands which gently pried her own away from her head and rolled her over onto her back with great care. It was Jacob.

"I heard you screaming, Commander. Are you alright?" He helped her to sit up, placing a supporting hand on her back.

"Yeah...just got a really bad headache..." She groaned, tilting her head cautiously just in case the mysterious pain returned with a vengeance and immediately saw that Jacob was looking unconvinced.

"That sounded like a lot more than just a headache, Commander," Jacob said incredulously, raising an eyebrow. The action brought Naomi's attention to the long cut across his forehead which had left one side of his face streaked with blood. His eyes followed her gaze. "It's just a scratch from when the shuttle crashed. I'm fine, Commander."

"Then so am I." Naomi hoped that Jacob caught the tone of finality in her voice. "What happened to me? I only remembered the crash and blacking out..."

"You were knocked unconscious when we landed and got a cut on your head," Jacob explained, his eyes trying to look for the injury through her red hair. "Mordin took a look at it and said you'll be fine, but Garrus didn't want to take any chances so he helped you apply some medi-gel on it."

Naomi nodded and slowly stood up, her arm draped around Jacob's shoulder until she was confident that she could stand on her own. Giving the Cerberus soldier her thanks, she proceeded to give herself a once-over, checking if all of her equipment was intact. When she was satisfied that all her weapons were still on her person, and that the cut on her head was the only injury she had received, she turned back to him. "So, what did I miss? As cliche as that sounds..."

Jacob grinned. "Nothing much actually. Everyone made it out in one piece and we split up to do some scouting of this area. You know, see if the trams are still working and if there are any survivors. I stayed behind to look after you. The rest should be heading back soon, Miranda told them to take 10 minutes tops."

While they waited, standing in the middle of the expansive Transport Hub lobby, Naomi finally had the chance to take a good look around. The central lobby was circular, easily three stories high and topped with a great glass and metal dome which they had just ruined. It was still sporadically raining bits of debris onto the ground floor and producing a surprisingly loud sound, suddenly making her aware of how quiet it was in the building.

"Did they find anybody so far?" Naomi asked hopefully, but Jacob replied with the negative. She also began to notice that the Transport Hub was poorly lit. Many of the lights were out, and the few that remained were either flickering or insufficient in illuminating the entire interior. There were also several giant monitors lining the walls in the lobby, most likely to display tram arrival times and other information for commuters, but those were either not functioning, or only displaying static. Could there have been a power outage?

Her eyes left the monitors and began to look at the seats, decorative statues, indoor plants, ticketing machines, and then...she saw the blood. In an instant, Naomi had whipped out her M-6 Carnifex pistol, switching on the flashlight attached to the scope and bringing it up to bear on the blood-stained ticketing machine. Narrowing her eyes and with her soldier senses tingling, she approached it with her pistol at the ready.

"Jacob!" She hissed. She jerked her head toward her discovery and his eyes widened at the sight.

"Never noticed that before, Commander. Looks like something messy happened here...and it's recent too." Jacob bent down to swipe his hand across the screen and when he withdrew it, Naomi could see his gloved hand slick with blood.

"Looks like the reports about the violent population were true," Naomi said grimly. "Look. There's blood everywhere."

Jacob straightened up and unfolded his M-22 Eviscerator shotgun, also switching on his flashlight and sweeping the ground floor together with her. Both of their weapons illuminated the countless splashes of red blood all over the ground floor and some on the walls, all previously concealed by the low lighting.

"Hell..." Jacob breathed. "What happened here?"

Naomi frowned. "It's not all this blood that concerns me the most Jacob. Take a look around. Where are all the bodies? If some violent riot or mass attack happened here, you would expect to see corpses right?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Commander. Perhaps the authorities managed to regain control here and evacuated everyone?"

"I don't think so," Naomi mused, holstering her pistol and watching Jacob do the same. "The tram network links the entire station together. If they were evacuating the people, they would have set up a base of operations here and sent people straight to the Government Sector, which..."

"Is locked down," Jacob finished for her with a sad shake of his head. "I guess evacuation isn't on the top of the authorities' to-do-list."

"All because The Illusive Man has one of his pets running this place," Naomi spat, turning to walk away from the ticketing machine and leaving bloody footprints behind her as she stalked back to the shuttle to wait. Jacob watched her go with a heavy sigh before following her, still absorbing what Naomi had said about the lack of bodies and feeling a shiver run up his spine.

* * *

**2 Minutes later...**

Her entire crew returned soon enough, all having heard her scream of pain echoing through the deserted halls of the Transport Hub and ran back as fast as they could. Naomi stuck to her 'headache' explanation when the questions came, and Mordin unknowingly helped her to avoid further questioning by stating that she probably had a concussion. Despite her assuring her crew that she was feeling fine and Mordin's subsequent scan picking up nothing, Garrus had been the most concerned, running a hand through her hair and feeling for her head injury. While she let him fuss, the others reported their findings.

Miranda was quick to point out that their communicators were being jammed. At best, the signals were weak and laced with infrequent bursts of static, but most of the time, they could not contact each others' omni-tool at all.

Legion reported that all trams were still functional, and that it and Tali could try taking the tram line which led to the 'Dry Docks', as there was 88.97% probability that the planet cracker they were seeking would be stationed there for repairs.

Thane and Zaeed had found out the cause of the faulty electrical equipment and fixtures in the Transport Hub. The power cables which ran along the ceilings throughout the building had been severed in some places. The Drell had examined one of them and claimed that they were slashed not by a tool, but by some sort of claw. His observations were in line with those of Samara's and Jack's, who both saw vicious claw marks on the walls, accompanied by splashes of blood.

"That was some fucked up shit back there, Shepard," Jack had added. "I wouldn't want to have seen what those attacks did to to those poor fucks."

Most troubling of all, every single one of them had not seen another soul or corpse, only blood-splattered hallways and floors. There was also plenty of litter, articles of clothing and pieces of luggage strewn all over the Transport Hub, as though everyone inside had been in a state of mass panic, dropping everything and stampeding for the exits.

Naomi considered all this carefully as Miranda placed a hand on her hip, putting her weight on one leg as she adopted her usual casual pose. "Your orders and analysis of the situation, Commander?"

She looked at all of their faces, each displaying different emotions but all appearing uncomfortable with the current situation. Rolling her shoulders, she took a step forward to address them. "Well, I don't like the current state of things as much as you all do, but we will not be deterred from our primary objective. We'll split up as planned and proceed to our respective locations. Find whoever you can, gather as big a group as possible and bring them back here."

Nods all around. "Our communicators are unreliable, so we have to decide on a cut-off timing to meet back at the Transport Hub just in case we are unable to coordinate. Remember, we have to leave before the Alliance shows up and we still have to find and bring The Illusive Man's Marker with us so that he can use it as his personal giant space dildo." Naomi said with a smile, the mental image in her mind more amusing than disturbing.

Garrus chuckled as The Illusive Man bounced up and down on the- NO! Stop it! He mentally kicked his misbehaving brain, trying to keep a straight face.

Miranda didn't know whether to look indignant or amused, but she managed to compose herself and ask, "If you are done fantasizing, Commander, maybe you want to tell us more about that deadline?"

Naomi scowled, but her eyes were smiling and filled with mischief. She mimicked Miranda's pose, cocking her hip to one side. "Oh I'm sorry I insulted your boyfriend Miss Lawson, I-"

A loud crash from the hallway on their left ended their friendly ribbing. 12 pairs of hands brought up 12 different weapons which shone 12 beams of light at the direction of the sound. The lights revealed a broken ventilation shaft grate which had apparently dropped from the ceiling. A deathly silence followed, with the only sound in the entire lobby being all of their heavy breathing for the next few minutes.

"It was probably some falling debris, Commander. I don't think there's anyone in those vents." Jacob said, and Naomi was just getting ready to agree with him when the body dropping out of the vent made the noise die in her throat. The noticeably bloody body fell onto the ground beside the grate with a sickeningly wet thud, and Tali's gasp was the most audible.

Immediately, Naomi had begun to advance toward the body. "Garrus, Legion, you're up! The rest of you stay back and watch the rest of the exits!" The Geth and the Turian moved forward and took up firing positions beside her, their weapons trained on the body. Naomi looked back over her shoulder and saw that the remaining members of her team were doing as instructed, each of the hallways leading out from the lobby now being clearly illuminated. Turning her attention back to the body in front of her, she felt her stomach squirm as Garrus whistled in amazement.

"This poor guy has been dismembered and disemboweled." He said, using his taloned foot to nudge the body over onto whatever was left of its stomach. "I've seen some grisly murders but this one is just..." Naomi just shook her head, unable to find the words to describe the horribly mutilated body that lay in front of them. Seeing that the body was as dead as it could be, she holstered her pistol and tilted her head to look up into the vent from which it had fallen.

And she screamed.

Looking out of the vent above her was a pale, bloodied face belonging to a dead body. But unlike the one lying at her feet, this one was still moving. It's eye sockets were bloody and hollow, and its features were twisted and fixed permanently into a snarl. Its mouth was hanging wide open, the teeth within horribly elongated, blood and saliva dribbling out of the gaping orifice. A huge, bloody tear in the cheek stretching all the way to the top of its head allowed her to see part of the skull, completing the ghastly visage of the undead corpse. Letting out an inhuman, guttural roar, it had leapt out of the vent with impressive speed, tackling her bodily to the floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" Was all Naomi could manage before the wind was knocked out of her as she hit the ground. The thing was heavy and flailing about erratically above her, its bloodied hands grabbing at her arms as she struggled against its grasp, trying to pull out her pistol. All the while, it continued to scream and howl, spitting blood and saliva over her face and armor. She managed to free one arm from underneath the body as it started to snap at her head, slamming a hand into its throat to keep the gnashing teeth away from her. Still, it was unimaginably strong, and the wildly jerking head continued its slow decent nearer and nearer to her face.

"SHOOT IT! GARRUS! SHOOT IT! GET IT OFF!" Naomi bellowed above the thing's cries for her blood.

Garrus had been stunned by the sudden attack but quickly recovered, seizing his M-98 Widow sniper rifle and smashing the butt into the monster's back. Such a forceful strike would have easily crippled a human and forced it off but it had no effect on the reanimated human corpse. It continued to thrash about as he kept striking it, getting more and more desperate as Naomi continued to scream underneath it.

"Legion!" He called to the Geth, who was standing on the other side of the corpse with its Geth Pulse Rifle.

"Firing at such close range could cause the projectiles to penetrate the body and injure Shepard-Commander." Legion warned, still unwilling to fire.

"Just do it!" Garrus snarled, losing his patience. Meanwhile, the corpse had managed to twist its neck free of Naomi's grasp and with a howl of triumph, bit down on the hand which she had been using to strangle it. Its sharp teeth coupled with the insane crushing power of the thing's jaw broke through her glove and ruptured her skin, sending pain shooting through her arm as they continued to sink deeper and deeper into her flesh. "SHOOT IT!" Naomi screamed in agony, unable to pull her maimed hand free.

Legion jerked into motion, having reached consensus that any more delays would result in greater injury to Shepard-Commander. It leveled its rifle at the monster and pulled the trigger, discharging an entire thermal clip with of rounds into it. It howled as each slug, accelerated to incredible speeds ripped through its body, sending scraps of skin and muscle flying into the air, its blood splattering all over the walls and floor. As Legion ejected the spent thermal clip, the thing twitched its last, collapsing on top of the exhausted Commander.

Garrus stooped down and heaved the steaming body off her, it resembling nothing more than strips of bloody meat barely held together by bone and muscle, helping Naomi to force its head open to release its grip on her hand. She grunted in pain as he examined it, cradling her hand in his. Slowly, her armor began to dispense the medi-gel and she sighed in relief as the cooling sensation spread throughout her injured hand, reducing the pain to a dull throb. Now that the thing had stopped screaming into her ear, she could make out the confused and worried shouting from the rest of her teammates behind her.

"What the fuck was that?!"

"Shepard!"

"Commander, are you alright?"

"Is that thing dead?"

"Shepard, are you hurt?"

"Keelah! I was so worried!"

"I'm okay guys, just a little sore..." She shouted back, waving her injured arm weakly as Garrus helped her up.

"Shepard, are you really alright? It's not everyday that you get attacked by a corpse." He asked softly, looking as concerned as a Turian possibly could. Naomi looked down, taking deep, calming breaths before raising her head to look him in the eye.

"Like I said, Garrus, I'm fine. Hand still feels like shit, but I'll live. I just hate Lady Luck right now, i mean, why me right?" Naomi gave him a small smile, turning to walk back to the group. Despite her nonchalant reply, Garrus had detected a waver in her voice and had seen something in her eyes which disturbed him. Frowning, he grabbed her uninjured arm, yanking her back.

"Naomi." He said sternly, switching to the use of her first name, mandibles twitching. "That's not all there is isn't it? What happened to you before we all came back to the shuttle?"

Naomi stiffened as the memories of Kaiden returned. Cold hands ripping through her throat, choking...in reflex she shrugged Garrus' hand off her arm, crossing both her arms and facing away from him. Garrus sighed angrily, and she could imagine him shaking his head.

"Naomi, why do you always have to keep your problems to yourself?"

"Not now, Garrus. Please. Let's just get back to the others." With that, she strode back to the group, Legion following close behind. Sighing again, he folded his sniper rifle back onto his armor and did as she commanded.

When he got back to the group, Naomi was already deep in discussion with the rest. Everyone had questions about the corpse which had attacked her and now, there were more questions than answers. Did all the dead bodies come back to life? Was that why they couldn't find any bodies? Why was it hiding in the vents? How can a dead body even move? The implications of it all were disturbing.

So far, Mordin was the only one who could come up with a likely theory. "Possibility of some organism inhabiting dead bodies. Perhaps parasites controlling motor functions. Though, highly unlikely, no such cases ever recorded. Could even be an infection. Once in body, virus kills host and takes over dead tissue. Troubling, yes." The Salarian said thoughtfully, rubbing his chin.

"Wait a damn minute, Doc. Are you saying we could die and turn into zombies at any time?" Zaeed exclaimed. "If that's the case, either I get a raise or I'm out of here."

Mordin shook his head rapidly. "No no no no! No need for alarm. Even if virus exists, no evidence to suggest it is airborne. Scans detect no foreign contamination of air."

"I hope you aren't thinking of running tests." Naomi groaned.

Mordin's face lit up but then he shook his head. "Was considering. But body too damaged to be of much use. Wasted opportunity."

"We apologize. " Legion said, bobbing its head. "But this unit believed that the use of overwhelming lethal force was necessary at the time."

"We should be using overwhelming lethal force ALL the time." Grunt piped up, slamming a fist into his other palm.

"That's wonderful," Miranda cut in. "But we have tarried too long here. We should move out soon, Commander. Like you said, we're running against the clock."

Naomi nodded. "Ok people, I know we have seen some pretty weird stuff so far, and maybe it got a little creepy with that space zombie back there, but think about it. In all our past missions, haven't we seen more than our fair share of weird things? We faced the Collectors many times and their Husks are basically zombies too. And guess what? They went down just like every enemy we have encounteted." She paused her pep-talk as her team nodded and rumbled in agreement.

"For now, we stick to the plan. Stay with your squads at all times, watch yourselves, watch each other's backs and be careful. We don't know if there are more of those space zombies crawling around, but if you do see any, shoot first and ask questions later. Trust me, they don't want to be your friend. Try to maintain radio contact with each other at all times and give me regular updates whenever possible. When all this is over, we'll figure out how these space zombies come about alright? Organize yourselves, we move in five!"

As her team got into their squads, Naomi ducked back inside the shuttle to retrieve her helmet. Slipping it on and sealing it onto the rest of her armor with a hiss of air, she cast one last look at her team, standing in threes to form Alpha squad, Beta squad, Charlie squad and Delta squad.

Miranda was her usual calm and confident self, decked out in all-Cerberus armaments, her M-25 Hornet sub-machine gun and M-358 Talon pistol at her hip.

Garrus stood folding his arms, sending a small nod in Shepard's direction. His M-15 Vindicator assault rifle was attached to his lower back while his trusty M-98 Widow sniper rifle was in its usual spot behind his shoulder.

Legion quietly checked its unique weapons, all from the Geth Armory. A Geth Javelin sniper rifle and a Geth Pulse Rifle adorned its back. It swiveled its lamp-like head to look down at Tali and raised its eye flaps reassuringly.

Tali appeared to be slightly nervous and maintained a strong grip on her Reegar Carbine shotgun, her Arc Pistol clipped to her thigh. She looked up and nodded at Legion, and Naomi could hear her taking deep breaths through her suit's filter.

Jacob gave Naomi a confident smile, the cut on his forehead making him look like a battle-hardened Omega mercenary as he cocked his M-22 Eviscerator shotgun.

Mordin hummed his favourite tune, 'Scientist Salarian' as he loaded and readied his Scorpion pistol and M-12 Locust sub-machine gun.

Jack was looking as fierce and determined as always, cracking her knuckles as she glanced around at the others. An M-27 Scimitar shotgun and an M-3 Predator pistol were equipped to her tattoo-adorned lower back and thigh.

Thane stood tall and stoic, his hands in a position of prayer as he did his usual preparations before embarking on a mission. The Drell Assassin was wielding an M-92 Mantis sniper rifle and an M-4 Shuriken sub-machine gun.

Grunt was tense, and anyone could see that he was already itching for a fight after witnessing Naomi getting attacked by the corpse. His meaty hands cradled his powerful M-300 Claymore shotgun as he peeled back his lips, baring his teeth and growling in anticipation.

Samara glowed blue with biotic energy as she readied her weapons, an M-96 Mattock assault rifle and an M-9 Tempest sub-machine gun.

Zaeed was scowling, folding up and stowing his M-55 Argus assault rifle behind his shoulder. It clicked into place beside his M-97 Viper sniper rifle and Naomi could hear the old mercenary mutter "I'm getting too old for all this zombie bullshit."

Naomi checked her own weapons as well, grinning behind her helmet as she detached each one, slamming in a thermal clip before slipping them back into their respective slots. M-76 Revenant assault rifle, check. M-6 Carnifex pistol, check. Black Widow sniper rifle, check. M-11 Wraith shotgun, check. Shiny, destructive guns of all shapes and sizes never failed to make her smile. When the 5 minutes were up, Naomi cleared her throat to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, you have your assignments! We meet back here in 4 hours. Move out!"

The different squads gave each other reaffirming nods, handshakes, hugs, and fist bumps, with Grunt attempting headbutts which everyone wisely avoided. Wishing each other good luck, they parted ways and walked down the different hallways to the trams which would take them to their respective destinations.

* * *

**Alpha Squad**

Miranda, Naomi and Garrus advanced down the dimly-lit hallway marked with 'Titan Station Hospital Tram Line'. They passed by plenty of blood but still did not find any bodies, nor did they find any of the claw marks which Jack and Samara had seen. Naomi paid extra attention to the overhead ventilation shafts, not wanting to get jumped by any more slavering space zombies. Whenever they approached a section of the ceiling with a grate, Naomi found herself instinctively bringing up her assault rifle to shine the flashlight at it, half expecting to see another bloodied corpse. She was getting paranoid and she hated it. Garrus and Miranda were starting to give her concerned looks as they followed closely behind, Miranda serving as the rear guard.

Their flashlights bounced off the metallic walls and their footsteps echoed loudly through the silent hall, none of them feeling like talking. The only words they spoke were to report that the corners were clear as they proceeded. Eventually, they descended a long flight of steps which led them to the tram platform.

"Good to see the tram is still here." Miranda said, picking her way through the piles of discarded luggage scattered all over the platform, making her way over to the six-carriage long tram which had stopped with its doors open. "Judging by the look of things, the tram was carrying a full load of passengers when it stopped here. Then everyone just...threw down their belongings and ran."

"A good guess would be that those ah...space zombies got to them inside the tram." Garrus brought their attention to the blood smeared all over the platform and tram windows. He then motioned to the tram doors, some which were smashed and broken. "Then, when it reached the station, everyone stampeded for the exits. There was probably a lot of mindless panic."

Naomi nodded grimly, stepping inside the first carriage. The interior was just as bloody and empty as the platform, and some of the windows had been smashed, glass littering the floor and seats. "Mass panic alright..." She murmured, making her way to the driver's compartment at the front of the carriage. Garrus stopped at the door, waiting for her signal, his rifle at the ready.

At her command, the Turian kicked the door down, sending it crashing into the cramped space which housed the controls for the tram. Naomi and Miranda shone their lights in, revealing a bloodied console and a dead body seated behind it. But this was no ordinary dead body.

"My god, Shepard. Look at those things coming out from its shoulders." Miranda gestured at the two extra arms which were portruding from a bloody mass of flesh on the body's upper back. They were not covered with skin and were purely bone, flesh and muscle, ending with a long, sharp piece of bone shaped like a blade. "By the spirits," Garrus groaned. "I think those 'arms' grew out of the body..." Naomi let out the breath that she had been holding and continued to inspect the mangled corpse. It still had its four limbs in addition to the two extra ones on its shoulders, but the bloody gashes across its neck and torso showed how the tram driver had met his end. His face was intact except for his missing lower jaw, which appeared to have been hacked off. His tongue was hanging loosely and the inner part of his throat was clearly visible. Naomi cringed and looked away.

"See if you can start the tram Miranda, let's get to that hospital."

Garrus followed Naomi out of the driver's cabin as Miranda got to work, linking her omni-tool to the tram's console and typing rapidly. Naomi collapsed into one of the vacant seats, looking fustrated as she popped the seals on her helmet, ripping it off and dropping it to the ground where it rolled and stopped at his feet. She put her head in her hands and shook it slowly, letting out a depressed sigh.

"Not a single survivor, Garrus. And all the dead bodies we've seen are just sick...not to mention one of them just tried to bite my head off. Then there's that gunship that shot us down. Just what is going on here?"

Garrus stood in front of her, his mind working furiously as he tried to formulate a politically correct response to make her feel better. At the same time, he knew that there was something else bothering her, he had seen it in her eyes after the attack in the lobby. Whatever it was, it must have been serious enough for her to shut him out completely. The way she had brushed him off earlier...he didn't like it when Naomi shut everyone out and kept beating herself up over her own problems. It was both worrying and infuriating.

A few minutes passed in silence with him unable to come up with anything to say, until the sound of the tram powering up turned his attention to the driver's cabin. He grabbed one of the overhead hand grips as the tram jerked into motion, gradually picking up speed and pulling out of the station.

"I got the tram operational, Commander." Miranda smirked, looking proud of herself. She disengaged her omni-tool from the tram's systems and turned back to face them. "According to the information on the console, we should be reaching in approximately half an hour. Looks like that Masters degree in Engineering wasn't a waste of my time after all."

Naomi looked up, a smile back on her face. "Nicely done, Miranda. Although...you might want to check on that alarm."

"What alarm? I don't hear anything, Commander."

"Oh, just the 'I have a really huge ego and am about to explode out of my suit' alarm." She grinned mischievously, folding her arms across her chest.

"I fit my suit just fine, Commander. Unlike you, I have no need to hide beneath XL-sized body armor," Miranda quipped, matching Naomi blow for blow.

Naomi gasped in mock outrage. "Was that a fat joke Miss Lawson?"

Garrus wisely stood to the side, staying silent and trying his best to suppress his laughter. Even though it was just a friendly catfight of words, he did not want to be seen as taking sides. Both of the beautiful women in front of him had enough physical and biotic power to rip the mandibles clean off his face.

Miranda stood laughing as her Commander spluttered and stammered, trying to find a retort to her jab at her weight. Shepard was the heaviest woman on board the Normandy and resented it, though the reason was due to her larger muscle mass, being a front-line combatant and all. But everyone still enjoyed taking swipes at her every now and then, especially when the Commander was in one of her teasing moods and the crew needed an easy way to get back at her.

Suddenly, Shepard and Garrus' facial expressions changed to one of utter shock and terror, and Miranda could sense movement behind her, turning her blood to ice. No, it can't be...

"MIRANDA! LOOK OUT!" Naomi screamed, reaching behind her back for her assault rifle.

It took Miranda half a second to react and spin around on her heel.

It took her another second to register the previously 'dead' corpse rearing up in front of her, its gruesome bladed appendages raised above its head and aiming for her head.

Another second passed as she instinctively threw her arms up in a cross in front of her, trying to block the incoming blow and at the same time unleashing her biotics to defend herself.

The undead monster only took 2 seconds to leap forward and bring its arms slicing down on her with incredible force.

Miranda was half a second too slow.

* * *

Oh no! Is this the end for Miranda? Decision time, Mass Effect style! (Well, sort of) Paragon, she lives! Renegade, it won't look pretty! Based on input, I may or may not change what I have in store for our favorite Cerberus Officer. Stay tuned dear readers, and remember to let me know if you liked this by reviewing or favouriting! Gibbering Gemstone out!


	4. Subway Assault, part 2

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

Greetings dear readers! I'm glad the interest for this story has kept growing! All of your support, by reading, following, favouriting or reviewing, really makes all this possible. Thank you! Now, just a little heads up. I'll be starting work soon, so future chapters and updates may be few and far between. But never fear! I will see this epic tale through to the end. Now, enjoy this giant, action-packed chapter and have a cookie:

**CHAPTER 4: S**ubway Assault, part 2

**Location: Titan Station Transport Hub, Dry Dock Tram Departure Platform, 1215hrs**

**Bravo Squad**

Jacob held up a hand, bringing the group to a halt. Legion stopped immediately, its head swiveling around like a searchlight. Tali however, was watching the rear and had been preoccupied with a gruesome, bisected human corpse lying against the wall, thus missing Jacob's signal and bumping into him with a surprised 'Oh!'. She jumped back about a foot, looking sheepish as she rubbed the back of her head, apologizing profusely.

"Hey, it's alright. I'm about as creeped out as you are too." Jacob said kindly, looking down at her. Despite her helmet visor obscuring his view of her face, he was pretty sure that she was blushing underneath. He cast a glance back at the human corpse which was missing its entire lower torso, and shook his head. "Nasty stuff huh? Well, at least we're at the tram. Come on."

They advanced cautiously across the platform to the tram, doing a full sweep of the area. Their lights revealed four more bodies, all slashed, mutilated and equally bloody, lying amongst the luggage and other detritus on the ground. The three of them appeared to be alone...for now.

Tali shuddered as she tore her gaze away from the wide, lifeless eyes of one of the bodies. "Jacob...what do you think killed these people? Could it have been one of those creatures which attacked Shepard?" She gave another involuntary shudder at the thought of one of those walking corpses stalking them and lurking in the shadows.

"Shepard did say that the people on this station were insane, engaging in random acts of violence," Jacob said, staring down at another body lying at his feet, a frown on his face. "But the more I look at their injuries, the harder it is for me to believe that the people did this to each other. These bodies look like they have been mauled and slashed to death by a Varren, or some savage beast."

"We agree with Operative Taylor's assessment," Legion cocked its head slightly, adopting an organic thinking posture. "Our analysis is that these particular injuries do not match those which would have been caused by artificial cutting tools. There is a 96.80% probability that an organic life form was responsible."

Jacob nodded. "I hear you on that one. I don't think it possible that a normal human being could cut a guy entirely in half with just his kitchen knife. Stay sharp guys, my bets are that Shepard's space zombies did all this."

Sighing worriedly, Tali stuck close to the biotic soldier, her shotgun also at the ready. Being surrounded like this by silence, blood and bodies made her extremely jumpy and uncomfortable. And now Jacob was saying that there were more of those terrifying creatures roaming around and cutting up all these poor people? She stole a glance at Legion and immediately envied the Geth Infiltrator's inability to feel emotions, particularly the fear that was coursing through her body now. Oh, the benefits of being a synthetic in a situation like this...No! She mentally chided herself for even thinking that way. Be brave, Tali'zorah! If Jacob could keep his act together, then so could she. The people on this station were counting on them, she couldn't afford to break down and give in to fear now.

They entered the middle carriage, Jacob taking point. Looking down the entire length of the tram from his current position all the way to the front where the driver's compartment was, he could neither see any bodies nor detect any movement. There wasn't even any blood in the front half of the tram. "Clear!" He shouted, beckoning Tali inside with the hand that wasn't holding his shotgun.

Legion was facing the opposite direction, checking the other end of the tram. Its single eye whirled and clicked as it scanned for hostiles and other anomalies. "Operative Taylor," it intoned. "There are no visible life forms to the rear of this transport. However, the last carriage appears to be locked and we are unable to observe its interior."

"That's not all, Jacob. It looks like somebody was injured and got dragged into the last carriage," Tali said in a hushed voice, pointing to the long trail of blood which marred the appearance of an otherwise normal, empty tram. The ominous red streak on the ground appeared recent and half-dried, starting in the middle of the next carriage and ending at the locked door Legion had mentioned. "Keelah! Maybe it's a survivor who locked himself inside when the monsters attacked! He could still be alive!"

Jacob looked at the young Quarian, her voice and posture full of hope. As much as he wanted to agree with her about the possibility of finding their first survivor, he knew that they were also just as likely to discover another bloodied corpse. Seeing as Tali was already so negatively affected by all the death around her, Jacob would hate to see her reaction to yet another body. She would probably just lose it...

He holstered his shotgun and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I got this one, Tali. But at the same time, we also need to get this tram moving. Shepard is counting on us to get that planet cracker ready for evac. I'll go with Legion to pick up our friend back there, you head to the front and see what you can do to start this bucket of bolts," Jacob said, giving her a reassuring smile. "How does that sound?"

Tali turned to look at the other empty half of the train and involuntarily gulped. Jacob wanted her to go there and start the tram all by herself? Although there was no blood and the tram interior brightly-lit, she was still filled with a sense of trepidation. She thought back to Shepard's encounter with the 'space zombie' as she had called it. Wasn't the creature hiding in the ceiling, waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting Commander?

Jacob saw Tali staring warily above at the carriage ceiling and mentally kicked himself. Nice going, Jacob, let's send the scared lady off all alone so that she can freak out. "I can accompany you if you want," he added quickly, ignoring the mocking voice in his head.

Instantly, Tali brightened, relieved that she would no longer have to be alone. She opened her mouth to take Jacob up on his offer but just as she did so, the memory of the little pep talk which she had given herself just a few minutes earlier resurfaced in her mind. 'Be brave, Tali'zorah!' echoed in her mind as she bit her lip. 'Come on, Tali, you already signed up for a suicide mission! Now's a good time as any to show that you can handle it! Besides, what would Jacob think of you if you keep showing that you are scared of every corpse, pool of blood and dark corner?' Her inner voice scolded. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of inner turmoil, she turned to face Jacob, trying to appear confident.

"I'll be alright, Jacob. Thanks," She said firmly, proud that her voice did not falter. Without stopping to see his reaction, Tali stepped around him and began to walk towards the front of the tram, shotgun drawn and at the ready. The human biotic made no attempt to dissuade her, so she continued forward, taking measured steps toward her objective. 'There's nothing there, Tali'zorah. There's nothing there, just an empty tram,' she repeated the mantra in her head as she approached the door to the driver's compartment.

Jacob watched her retreating figure for a few seconds before turning his attention to Legion, which had been a silent observer during their entire conversation. "Well, it looks like it's you and me buddy," Jacob said, once again drawing his weapon and beckoning for Legion to follow him.

* * *

**Bravo squad - Tali**

Tali stood outside the driver's compartment, double-checking that her shotgun was loaded and that the safety was off. She let out a long exhale, readying herself before she reached out gingerly with a hand to activate the opening mechanism for the door. Taking cover with her back to the wall beside the doorway, she counted down from 5 as the door began to unlock. 'Another empty room, Tali.' She reminded herself again, taking a deep breath as the door pinged.

It whooshed open and she stepped out from her cover, brandishing her weapon and illuminating the cramped compartment. She did a quick sweep of the room from the left to the right, letting out a relieved sigh when a console and the driver's seat were the only things she saw. "Clear," Tali muttered to herself, holstering her shotgun and approaching the console. It appeared undamaged, and the interface was still active, bathing the driver's compartment in a dim, orange glow.

Tali took a seat on the chair and began to analyse the system in front of her, fingers flying over the interface. All of her previous nervousness and fears disappeared momentarily as she began to work, feeling comforted by the cool familiarity of electronics. Machines and systems were like constants to her, so much unlike the frightening variables of her current mission. Errors in programming were easy and simple to identify, analyse and correct, but 'space zombies' which wanted to tear off your face? That was something Tali had difficulty wrapping her head around, and whatever that she could not understand frightened her. Though, she thought with a grin, things were never 'normal' with Shepard around. Missions which started out as simple and straightforward tended to get complicated when the Normandy's crew were involved. What was the word that Shepard had used to describe almost all of their missions? FUBAR?

Tali shook her head, unable to make heads or tails of the strange Human word. Just like their game of strip poker, Shepard's race was full of mysteries. She tapped in the last code to override the tram's systems with a flourish, grinning as the tram powered up and started to move. As she relaxed, leaning back in her seat and watching the tram pull out of the station, she caught sight of the button for the tram's Public Address system and felt her smile of success turn into one of mischief. Why not? She was practically in command of the tram and there were no passengers on board other than her squad. Besides, if Shepard were standing next to her right now, she would be elbowing her out of the way to have a go at the PA system. Time to stop being scared and go have some fun, Tali.

With that, she held down the button and cleared her throat. "Attention, attention all commuters. This is Captain Tali'zorah vas Titan Station tram speaking," Tali said in her best impersonation of Aunt Shala'Raan's stern, no-nonsense voice. Keelah, this was so much fun. "We are now en-route to Titan Station Dry Docks, and will arrive within the next standard hour. Kindly keep all hands, legs, weapons and other appendages inside the transport at all times. Once again, I thank you all for travelling on the Bosh'tet Express." Deactivating the PA system, she took a moment to compose herself and stifle her giggles, thoroughly amused that she had gone ahead and done such a thing. Shepard must have really rubbed off on her.

The euphoria from her prank quickly faded away and Tali found herself wondering when Jacob and Legion would be returning with the survivor. They had been gone for a good 15 minutes now, what was taking them so long? She tapped the communicator on her omnitool to try contacting them, but just like Miranda had said, communications were being jammed and her ears were promptly treated to a burst of static. Frustrated and feeling a little worried, Tali had half a mind to get up and find her teammates but she knew that overseeing and monitoring the tram's systems took immediate priority. Still, her thoughts kept returning to the survivor, hoping that her teammates had managed to find someone alive. Sighing, she reclined the driver's seat, watching as the tram entered a tunnel with a whoosh.

Unfortunately for her, the howling wind inside the tunnel drowned out the sound of footsteps behind her.

Tali was idly tapping the controls on the console, viewing information about the tram's speed and hardware when a humanoid shadow loomed over the console. Immediately her heart leapt into her throat, her entire body tensing as all of her suppressed fears returned in full force. Still trying her best to hold back the scream building up in her throat, Tali slowly turned around in her seat, hoping and praying that it was just her teammate. "Jacob?" She asked timidly, her hand inching toward the shotgun on her back and finally coming face to face with the horror which had entered the driver's compartment.

She finally screamed as the undead creature right in front of her let loose a terrifying howl and attacked.

* * *

**Bravo Squad - Jacob and Legion**

Man and Machine approached the door, weapons raised. Jacob nodded at Legion, both of them taking position with their backs to the wall on either side of the doorway. He held up three fingers for the Geth to see. "On the count of three."

"Acknowledged," Legion intoned.

"Three"

"Two"

"Attention, attention all commuters. This is Captain Tali'zorah vas Titan Station tram speaking."

Both of them jumped when Tali's voice suddenly came over the PA system. Well, technically Legion didn't jump. It just raised its eye flaps, indicating its 'surprise'. "Tali?" Jacob asked incredulously, one eyebrow raised as her nonsensical announcement continued to broadcast throughout the tram.

"We were not aware of Creator Tali'zorah's new status. Operative Taylor, is she in command of the Normandy at this time?" Legion inquired when Tali's announcement was over.

"I...what?"

"Creator Tali'zorah referred to herself as 'Captain'. This title is mainly used by Creators who are in command of a space-faring vessel, and we can easily conclude that this transport is not such a vessel."

"...Legion..."

"Yes, Operative Taylor?"

Jacob chuckled. Legion had never looked or sounded so innocent.

"That would be organic humor for you. Tali's just pretending that she's the 'captain' of this tram," Jacob said, emphasizing the word 'Captain' with a pair of very obvious air quotes.

"We were not aware that organics find false information to be humorous. This has been noted. Thank you, Operative Taylor," Legion replied with a bob of its head.

Jacob's eye twitched but he quickly rearranged his features into a smile.

"Err no problem Legion. Now, how about we hack this door open?" He suggested to the ridiculously naive AI before the current situation could become any more awkward.

"Acknowledged. We will begin to override the lock, please stand by." As Legion spoke, the lock began to cycle, and a few seconds later changed from a red to a green display. "The lock has been bypassed. We may now access the carriage."

Legion took up its firing position behind Jacob, aiming its weapon over the Human soldier's shoulder while he activated the door. As it slid open, Jacob was expecting to see more blood, maybe a body or two, and perhaps even a survivor, but instead, the macabre sight that greeted him made his eyes widen in disbelief and lower his weapon in shock.

The entire carriage was covered in blood, slick red splattered all over the seats, floor and walls, an overpowering metallic scent filling the air. Five bodies were lying in a pile at its center and Jacob could see that they consisted of three human, one Turian and one Asari. All five corpses had been viciously mutilated, each missing at least one limb and suffering multiple stab and slash wounds. The Asari's corpse was particularly gruesome, the head decapitated and stomach torn open, entrails spilling out onto the floor in a gory mess.

But all that was nothing when compared to the freakish creature currently hovering above the bodies. It appeared bat-like, with pale wings which flapped erratically as it grasped one of the human corpses in its bloody talons. On closer inspection, Jacob realized with horror and revulsion that the creature was actually a human corpse with its chest torn open. The skin from the upper torso had been stretched taut over elongated and mutated clawed hands, forming the wings and leaving the innards of the body entirely exposed. The thing no longer had legs, and its head had been split in half, a long proboscis protruding out of where the lower jaw should have been.

Jacob continued to watch, paralyzed with morbid fascination as the creature stabbed its proboscis into the forehead of the human corpse that it was holding, causing a startling transformation to take place. The body began to spasm and contort, limbs flailing wildly as two extra limbs literally exploded out of its shoulders in a massive shower of blood. These limbs were skinless, exposing raw muscle and bone and were tipped with what appeared to be long blades made out of its bones. These extra 'arms' were twitching together with the rest of the body as its jaw enlarged and elongated with a horrible crunching sound, the bones within its head rearranging themselves, causing its face to ripple repulsively. Finally, the entire left side of the transforming corpse's face was destroyed as a serrated bony protrusion, very much like a horn, erupted from underneath the skin, leaving flaps of bloody skin hanging down from the side of its face. The winged horror withdrew its proboscis with a sickening sound, letting the newly-formed monster drop onto the floor, where it started to growl and get up unsteadily onto its feet.

And all this had taken place in less than eight seconds.

"Holy shit," Jacob breathed, not sure if he could believe what he had just witnessed. However, whether he chose to believe it or not quickly became irrelevant as shit started to get real. A loud screech turned his attention back to the bat creature, which had descended upon the Turian's corpse and inserted its proboscis into its head. Almost immediately, the body began to shake as its grisly transformation began, blood spraying out from its chest spectacularly as several ribs erupted out of its chest. The jerking Turian corpse was the least of his worries as the human zombie with the bladed arms howled, finally catching sight of them and running at them with its arms slicing through the air. "Holy Shit!"

"Legion! Open fire! Open Fire!" He bellowed, leveling his shotgun at the charging monster and pulling the trigger. The shot, having been fired at almost point blank range, caused a bloody explosion in the center of its chest, causing it to stumble. Legion then hit it with a burst from his Pulse Rifle, landing five direct hits to its upper torso, shredding through its skin and bones and causing it to double over, reeling from the shots. But instead of collapsing right there and then, it regained its footing, giving another inhuman scream before charging forward again. This time, its wildly swinging arms came within striking range, forcing Jacob who was still stunned at the thing's resilience to duck and step backwards in order to avoid decapitation.

As he backed away, Legion fired two more bursts from its position behind the creature, is rounds tearing through its misshapen back and splattering its vile blood on the opposite wall. Still, the unholy beast continued to advance on Jacob, blood streaming out from the multiple holes in its chest but still not showing any signs of tiring or collapsing.

"Operative Taylor, our weapons are ineffective against this enemy unit," Legion said urgently, ejecting a spent thermal clip from its Pulse Rifle. 'Damn right,' Jacob thought with mounting panic. 'How do you kill something which is already dead? Well, if our weapons don't work...'

The zombie screamed and lunged for Jacob again, but this time he switched tactics and unleashed his biotics against it. He shot out a hand which glowed with blue fire, creating a mass-lowering field around the monster, yanking it into the air where it thrashed and flailed helplessly about. As it struggled furiously, carving deep gouges into the walls and roof of the carriage and sending sparks flying in all directions, Jacob knew that it wouldn't be long before his mass-effect field dissipated.

"We haven't got all day, Legion! My biotics won't last forever! Aim for the head, let's put this sucker down!"

"Acknowledged."

Legion brought up its rifle, aiming and putting the ghastly creature's head in its sights. It was just about to pull the trigger when a horrible gurgling sound filled the carriage, accompanied by wet, squelching footsteps.

The Turian corpse had caught up with them.

Having sensed movement right behind it, Legion whipped around, smashing its weapon into the reanimated Turian's head with enough force to snap its neck, a sickening crack filling the air. As the corpse staggered back, continuing to make that disturbing gurgling noise, both Legion and Jacob got a better look at the newly risen horror.

The front of the Turian's body had literally been melted away, strings of acid-dissolved flesh exposing a set of yellowed, diseased lungs and other internal organs. A series of grossly elongated ribs were the only things keeping the organs within the body as it lurched forward, making the organs visibly shift and roll inside the rib cage. Its missing leg had been replaced with a twisted mass of flesh extending from its intestines, and the plating which normally covered a Turian was gone, leaving its pale skin hanging disgustingly in thick flaps around the rest of the body. But the most disturbing thing of all was that the lower half of its face had been melted into its throat, forming a gaping orifice which dripped with viscous bodily fluids. The corpse's head was twisted unnaturally to one side, fixing them with a hollow and blank stare with its eyeless sockets, still alive even after its neck was broken by Legion's powerful blow.

As Legion was still processing this new turn of events, the corpse lurched forward, a deep gurgling continuing to emanate from its throat. It seized Legion with both its clawed hands, one hand latching on to its arm and the other wrapped around its 'neck', dragging Legion into a deathly embrace. Legion struggled against its grip, trying to throw off the shambling corpse and using its free arm to punch the corpse repeatedly, powerful fists driving into its meaty flesh, but to little effect. The Turian corpse then drew back, as if taking a deep breath, and vomited a torrent of steaming acidic bile onto its synthetic prisoner. At such a close range, the damage was catastrophic.

The caustic attack landed on Legion's entire left arm and shoulder, completely destroying the synthetic limb. The arm simply melted away in a matter of seconds, acid eating away at it and causing the white hydraulic fluid running through the limb to boil and explode in a steaming mess. A portion of Shepard's N7 armor on Legion's chest was similarly affected, the metal sizzling and melting, holes appearing on the material. Having expended its vomit attack, the Turian zombie gave a guttural roar and threw Legion bodily across the carriage. Legion crashed into the seats and slammed into the ground, the light that was its eye flickering rapidly as it lay on its back, unmoving.

"LEGION!" Jacob yelled, praying that Legion wasn't 'dead'. He was still levitating the first zombie up above their heads and could only watch helplessly as the Turian zombie brutally incapacitated the Geth. Now, faced with a quickly weakening biotic field, an incoming Turian vomit-zombie and an out-of-commission Geth squadmate, Jacob knew that he was in trouble.

And just when he thought that the current situation couldn't get any worse, it did.

Several more howls and screams were heard as the three remaining corpses shambled into view, all with extra bladed appendages and extensive, horrific mutations. He shuddered in revulsion at the legless and headless Asari zombie which was dragging itself forward on its clawed hands and slashing 'arms', scuttling forward like some demonic insect and trailing its wet and slimy intestines behind it.

"Shit..." Jacob felt like throwing up. All the blood and gore that he had seen, together with the horrifying appearance of the zombies, had shaken him to the core. It took all of his willpower and stomach muscles to keep it all together. Quickly, his soldier's mind went into overdrive, assessing the situation and trying to find a way out.

'Legion needs help, and Tali might be in danger as well. I am now facing down five zombies that don't die when shot. Since a broken neck didn't even seem to have any effect on one of those creepy bastards, I don't think headshots will work either. And I think they are all about to attack.'

Well, shit.

* * *

**Alpha Squad**

"MIRANDA! LOOK OUT!" Naomi screamed, reaching behind her back for her assault rifle.

It took Miranda half a second to react and spin around on her heel.

It took her another second to register the previously 'dead' corpse rearing up in front of her, its gruesome bladed appendages raised above its head and aiming for her head.

Another second passed as she instinctively threw her arms up in a cross in front of her, trying to block the incoming blow and at the same time unleashing her biotics to defend herself.

The undead monster only took 2 seconds to leap forward and bring its arms slicing down on her with incredible force.

Miranda was half a second too slow.

With a roar, the zombie broke through her barely-formed biotic shield and its deadly blades raked across her arms. Without her biotic shield, both of her arms would have been instantly dismembered, but thanks to her hasty last-minute defence, Miranda had avoided suffering such a gruesome fate. However, that did not mean she escaped serious injury.

The sharp bones slashed two huge and deep gashes into each arm, cutting them to the bone. Miranda cried out as the blood gushed out of her wounds, the force of the blow knocking her to the floor. The Cerberus Officer crumpled in a heap, a red pool spreading quickly around her as she clutched her arms close to her chest, screaming in agony. Seeing that its prey was still alive, the zombie howled and raised its arms for another attack.

"Get the fuck off her!" Naomi raged, getting its attention and making it halt its attack. The zombie turned toward the source of her voice, tilting its head as it observed her with its bloodied and soulless eyes. And then, without warning, it raised its bladed arms above its head and charged.

At this point, Naomi and Garrus had already drawn their weapons and immediately let loose with a huge barrage of gunfire. The entire carriage was filled with the flashes of their assault rifles and the howls of the zombie as two entire thermal clips worth of rounds slammed into its body, ripping bloody holes in its chest as it struggled towards its attackers. Naomi reloaded as Garrus kept firing, one of his shots blowing the creature's head off in a gory explosion and another burst shredding one of its arms off at the elbow.

"I'm out!" Garrus called, ejecting his thermal clip and reaching for another. His eyes widened when he looked up, seeing that the one-armed and headless human corpse was still very much alive and staggering its way toward them, ejecting blood from its neck while waving its remaining bladed arm wildly in the air.

"By the spirits!" Garrus exclaimed, bringing up his rifle and getting ready to shoot the seemingly invincible undead human. How was this all possible? No living thing could survive such injuries!

Before he could fire, Naomi interrupted him with a battle cry, lowering her shoulder and charging straight for the flailing zombie. She narrowed her eyes and grit her teeth, snarling as she ducked underneath its wild swing and rammed into it with a bone-snapping crack.

Garrus winced as Naomi's heavily-armoured shoulder struck the corpse where its arm met its shoulder, instantly dislocating the grotesque limb. As it fell back from her charge, she stomped down viciously on its bloodied chest with a heavy booted foot, pinning it to the floor before following up by slamming the barrel of her assault rifle into its torso. Naomi glared down at the still-struggling zombie and pulled the trigger, firing a burst into its body at point-blank range.

After several explosions and sprays of blood which coated her suit's leg with a slick, red layer, the zombie finally fell still, legs going limp. Naomi stepped off it, breathing heavily and shouldering her weapon. Garrus quickly did the same, rushing over to Miranda's side, scooping her up gently into his arms and laying her down on one of the seats in the carriage. Naomi knelt down beside him as they inspected their downed teammate, grasping one of Miranda's hands tightly and running her eyes over her injuries.

Garrus wasted no time in taking two of their medigel packs and ripping them open, applying the entire strip over each arm and trying to ignore Miranda's grimaces and cries of pain as he did so. His hands came away incredibly bloody, Miranda arching her back and crying out as the medigel started to set, sending fire shooting up her arms. She was extremely pale and shaking uncontrollably, her lips trembling and eyelids fluttering as she fought to stay conscious. Her previously pristine white suit was now bloodstained, the huge rips in the material exposing the gaping wounds on her flawless skin. The medigel had stopped the bleeding and closed the grievous wounds, but it was clear that she had lost too much blood and was going into shock. Naomi flipped her hand around and felt desperately for a pulse, finding a worryingly weak one. Her breathing was similarly laboured and shallow, making Naomi fear the worst.

"Garrus," She whispered, gently placing Miranda's limp hand on her stomach and brushing her raven hair away from her damp forehead. "How bad is it?"

The Turian sighed, looking downcast. "I'm not going to lie, Shepard. It doesn't look good. Miranda needs proper medical attention soon, maybe some blood," Garrus said softly, watching his Commander's shoulders sag in despair.

Naomi's grim expression was her only reply as she turned back to the trembling biotic lying broken on the bloody carriage seat. Miranda was barely conscious, and her entire body was now slick with cold sweat. She seemed stable for now, but Garrus was right. Miranda was fading away slowly and they couldn't do anything for her! Their only hope was the hospital, which by some twist of fate, was also their planned destination. But what were the chances of finding any medical staff still alive and working facilities after all the chaos which had befallen the station?

"It's...a good thing we're headed to a hospital...right, Commander?" Miranda smiled weakly up at her, making her throat tighten.

"You'll be fine," Naomi told her quickly, giving one of her hands a tight squeeze. "Just hold on, Miranda. You don't have the permission to die on me now, it's not the suicide mission yet." She gave Miranda a smile of her own, but inwardly, it terrified Naomi that her XO was looking so uncharacteristically weak and vulnerable, so different from her usual strong and confident self. Naomi sighed, closing her eyes in worry as Garrus put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Not the best way to start a mission, Garrus." She said glumly, watching the slow rise and fall of Miranda's chest.

"I think you should have said that when that gunship blew us out of the sky," Garrus replied dryly, trying to lift her spirits. "Miranda is strong, Shepard. She'll pull through. Besides, I'm sure that I can help Miranda when we get to the hospital. Patching up battlefield wounds is also part of my very extensive resume as Archangel," he ended with a proud twitch of his mandibles.

"Oh my gosh. Shepard, kill me before that bloody Turian touches me," Miranda shot back in a weak, but playful voice, the smile still present on her trembling lips.

Naomi grinned, feeling comforted that both Garrus and especially Miranda had not lost hope yet.

"Ok, break it up you two. Lawson, get some rest. Vakarian, you wisecracking chicken, try to use the tram's communicator to reach the other trams. If everything is going according to plan, the rest of the squads should also be on their respective trams. If you can get through to them, let them know what happened and tell them to be extra cautious now. These space zombies like to play dead."

Garrus snapped to attention and gave her an overly-exaggerated salute. Naomi punched him in the arm.

"On my way, Shepard." Garrus laughed, proceeding into the driver's compartment.

* * *

**Location: Somewhere above the Government Sector, 1220hrs**

**Echo Squad**

Joker was bored. B-O-R-E-D. He had followed Shepard's orders to the letter, getting the Normandy to circle around Titan Station for the past few hours, searching for survivors, but had found nothing. Only the usual sight of big, fat Saturn and his bird's eye view of the entire station. Outside of the viewport, rocks of different shapes and sizes drifted past, remnants of Titan's shattered core. It was all incredibly boring. EDI was running the scanners, trying to pick up distress calls and any updates from the ground crew, but was also unsuccessful.

"This is just...ugh!" Joker sighed in frustration throwing his hands in the air. There was nobody out here! He was tempted to contact Shepard and tell her to get her sorry ass out of the station, civilians be damned. They should be focusing on the imminent threat of the Collectors, not wasting time on the Illusive Man's pet project. Joker didn't like the whole idea of the mission and frankly, he was concerned for his Commander's safety. Psycho civilians? No thank you, ma'am! They had already hit their quota for crazy people when they retrieved Jack. If he had to take a guess, Shepard had only taken up the mission because she wanted to save the innocent people caught in the crossfire.

'She should really stop doing that,' Joker thought bitterly. 'She had already died once trying to save someone. Me.'

"You should have died, Joker."

Joker frowned in annoyance. "Gee, why don't you shut up EDI? I already feel guilty as hell..." the rest of his sentence trailed away as Joker froze in shock. That voice was too human to be EDI's and had come from directly behind him. Slowly, Joker turned around, his skin crawling and all the hairs standing up on the back of his neck. That voice sounded just like...

He came face to face with Commander Naomi Shepard.

"You should feel guilty, Joker. I died because you wouldn't leave."

Joker was shocked into silence, his mind unable to process the sight in front of him. Shepard was wearing the exact same armor that she had on two years ago, on the old Normandy when it got destroyed. There was a look of sadness on her face, and she was crying. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she took a step toward the Normandy's terrified pilot.

"C-Commander?" Joker finally found his voice, Shepard's appearance pulling at his heartstrings and filling him with overwhelming regret and anguish.

"Why didn't you leave?" Shepard choked, wiping away her tears furiously as she continued to cry. "Why, Joker? Because of you, I lost my life."

"I'm sorry..." Joker whispered, unable to tear his eyes away or react as Shepard sat down on his lap, both her legs on either side of his chair. She looped her arms around his neck, face just inches away from his own, still wearing an expression of extreme sadness.

"I care too much about you, Joker."

Something stirred within Joker as his Commander shifted on his lap, still gazing sadly into his eyes. All common sense and logical thinking had been thrown out of the window and forgotten as he placed both of his hands on Shepard's slim waist. Oh my god...she's so beautiful... Joker reached up slowly and used his thumb to wipe away the tears on her soft, delicate cheeks, heart fluttering as she offered him a small smile. She closed her eyes and leaned in, her pink lips moist, perfect and inviting.

Joker's lips met his Commander's and he immediately began to savor the forbidden fruit, groaning as her tongue slipped into his mouth. He closed his eyes as he tasted her, tasted the salt of her tears, his hands roaming around her body, undoing the clasps around her armor, throwing the pieces to the floor. His quickly disappearing sanity finally made one last, desperate grab for the light and Joker's eyes flew open, head snapping back away from Shepard's.

"No! Wait!" Joker gasped in horror, withdrawing his hands away from Shepard's chest as though he had been burnt. His heart was beating extremely fast, his body hot and sweaty. 'This is not happening, this is not happening...' he thought, furiously shaking his head in an effort to clear it. The darkness and haze once again started to creep into his mind, despite him feverishly telling himself that this woman in front of him was not real, despite him trying to force himself to grasp the fact that he was dreaming, hallucinating.

It was a valiant, but futile effort. Shepard kissed him again, and he was once again powerless, giving into his deepest, darkest desires. His tongue ravaged the inside of her mouth as he hungrily kissed back, hands diving underneath her shirt, making her groan into his mouth as she moved against his body. They parted for air, Shepard knocking the cap off his head as he struggled with her shirt.

"I'm sorry, Shepard. I...I technically caused your death," Joker paused as he raised both his arms above his head to allow the gorgeous, topless woman on his lap to remove his shirt. "Not a day goes by that I regret and hate myself for my stupidity. And after you died out there, Cerberus made you into some damned female Terminator. It's all my fault. I'm so sorry." He placed a hand on her cheek and Shepard smiled at him.

"You can make it up to me, Joker. You can rid yourself of all this guilt that you have inside," She leaned in and whispered seductively into his ear while grinding her hips against him. "All you have to do, is to make us whole."

Joker groaned as Shepard continued to tease him. He gazed at her with lust-filled eyes, taking in her perfect body and teasing smile, pure bliss coursing through his every being.

"Make us whole, Joker!" Shepard urged again, sounding almost desperate.

"If you put it that way..." Joker grinned, his chest full to bursting with excitement. He had always secretly lusted after his Commander, and now that he had the chance to finally...

"JOKER! JOKER! JEFF!"

"Aaargh!" Joker yelled as a sharp pain shot up his arm. In an instant, his mind was his own again, feeling as though he had just woken up from a long nightmare. Quickly, he returned to reality. It had all been a hallucination, a very real and haunting hallucination. He was fully-clothed in the cockpit, and Shepard was gone from his lap. Kasumi had his arm in a vice-like grip and the thief had twisted it behind his back in an attempt to snap him out of it. It had worked. Painfully.

Joker cried out again as Kasumi twisted his arm for the second time, sending excruciating pain shooting through it. "Hey! I'm out of it! I'm awake! Stop it! Let go of my arm, woman!"

Kasumi released him and he massaged it gently, cursing under his breath. His whole body felt numb and his head was hurting, and he even felt a little like throwing up. And why the hell did his neck hurt so much?

"My god, Joker!" Kasumi exclaimed, grabbing his chair and spinning him around to face her. "What got into you just now?" Joker couldn't see her face, but he could detect the fear and panic in her voice.

"Why don't you tell me? Did I faint or something? I was kind of having this freaky vision..." Joker trailed off as he moved his hand to his neck, intending to massage it. Seriously, it hurt for some reason.

"Stop it!" Kasumi shrieked suddenly, slapping his hand away and making him yelp.

"HEY! WATCH IT, KASUMI!" Joker bellowed as he clutched his injured hand. This time, Kasumi had caused some damage to it, fracturing one of his knuckles.

"I'm sorry!" Kasumi squealed, shrinking away from his outburst.

A few tense seconds passed in silence as Joker gently rubbed his hand, glowering at the Master Thief.

"Ok, now can you please tell me what the hell happened? And why you were trying to rip my arm off?"

"I called Miss Goto up to the cockpit for assistance," EDI chimed in. "You were trying to kill yourself, Mr. Moreau."

Joker gaped. "I was trying to off myself? Why? How?" Wasn't he just hallucinating?

"When I came up here, you were strangling yourself with your bare hands! I couldn't say anything to make you stop, I was so scared, Joker." Kasumi said quietly, letting the chilling information sink in. "It was like you were possessed. I'm surprised you didn't break your neck. I had to stop you in any way that I could."

Shit. Well that explained his throbbing neck. "Shit," Joker repeated out loud, hardly believing his ears. So, he was trying to commit suicide and having hallucinations at the same time? Or maybe the hallucination of Shepard was actually making him kill himself? Was he going crazy? "Shit shit shit shit..." He groaned, putting a hand to his head.

Kasumi patted his shoulder, not knowing what to say. "Are you alright, Joker?" She finally asked cautiously, removing her hood to show her sincerity.

"Absolutely brilliant," Joker murmured softly to himself, but Kasumi's finely-tuned ears still picked it up. "I hallucinated that I was making out with my Commanding Officer, tried to choke myself to death and now have absolutely no idea how all that happened."

Kasumi raised an eyebrow when she heard 'making out' and 'Commanding Officer' but chose to keep her mouth shut. Given Joker's current fragile (haha) mental state, asking him about the hallucination he experienced would be inappropriate. For now, if it would mean his return to normalcy, she was more than happy to just silently let him mumble and grumble.

"I'm fine. Might not be able to enjoy this month's illegally downloaded issue of Fornax to the fullest though." Joker declared audibly, squinting at his injured hand.

Yep. Joker was back.

Kasumi coughed and turned pink as she caught the hidden meaning behind his words. She flipped her hood back over her head, turning to exit the cockpit. "Good to hear, Joker. I'll head down below to see if there's anything in the medbay for your hand."

She stopped at the door. "And before you ask, no. I have no intention of 'helping' you enjoy your magazine."

The door slid shut.

Joker grinned, turning to see EDI's flashing spherical form. "What?"

"I am picking up an incoming distress signal, Mr. Moreau. It appears to be from an escape pod," EDI informed him.

"How did we miss that before?" Joker scrambled to his controls, steering the Normandy as EDI directed him to a large cluster of rocks in the distance.

"The escape pod is currently lodged in the crevice of one of those rocks. The scanners were thus unable to detect it during our previous patrols."

"Can you patch me through to the pod?"

"Attempting connection...connection successful, Mr. Moreau."

Joker pumped his fist in the air and whooped in joy. "Yes! We are now officially in business!"

He opened the channel to the pod, hearing the heavy breathing and frantic voice of a human male.

"Hello? Anyone! Is anyone out there?" The man's voice was bordering on hysteria and sounded hoarse, most likely due to repeating his distress message over and over for hours on end.

"This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy," Joker spoke in his most masculine voice, trying to maintain a straight face. He turned to EDI's hologram and mimed 'do not interrupt my magic moment or I will unplug you' before resuming the conversation with the pod's occupant. "Hold on, my good man, we are on the way to pick you up."

"Please! You have to come quickly! My wife and I were attacked and we barely escaped the station! She's hurt bad! Please!"

"We hear you, just hold on. Help's on the way!"

The Normandy weaved between two large, tumbling rocks and the escape pod finally came into view. It was cylindrical in shape and colored a dull gray, wedged between a fold in the rock. Joker expertly brought the Normandy to a dead stop about fifty metres away from the rock, rapidly entering commands and adjusting the power to the thrusters to keep the ship in place. When that was taken care of, he contacted Kasumi over the ship's PA system.

"Hey, Kasumi! We got our first survivor! Could you be a dear and head to the hangar to pick him up?"

Joker snickered as he tried to imagine the look on Kasumi's face when she realized that she would have to go on a spacewalk in order to free the escape pod.

Outside, meters away from the gleaming, sleek shape of the Normandy, the man cried in relief within the cramped confines of the escape pod.

"We're saved. Everything's going to be alright now," he whispered softly, hugging the bloody corpse beside him.

"Everything's going to be fine."

* * *

Legion is out of commission! How will Bravo squad get out of their predicament? What will Alpha squad find in the hospital? Miranda's life hangs on a thread! Joker and Kasumi are about to let a deranged survivor on board the Normandy! Just what else can go wrong? Find out in the next installment! Gibbering Gemstone, out!


	5. Into the mouth of Hell

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

Hello dear readers! It has been quite some time, I know, but work has been hectic and the time for writing eludes me constantly. But with all the positive feedback rolling in and my own personal interest in this story's progression going strong, I knew I had to keep writing! Thus, I enlisted the help of the awesome GabeSeers (an accomplished author in his own write...i mean right) in helping me co-write this monster of a chapter, and the action-packed, mind-blowing and bloody fruits of our combined labour can be found below. Enjoy.

**CHAPTER 5: I**nto the mouth of Hell

**Location: Residential District Tram Station, 1220 hrs**

**Charlie Squad**

The dull staccato of machinery filled the air as the tram glided along its tracks to the Residential District Tram Station, the dark interior of the tunnel being the only view outside the carriage windows. Charlie Squad's journey had been uneventful so far. Jack, Mordin and Thane had easily located and activated the tram, and had not found any corpses, dead or alive. Yet.

Jack was bored. Scratch that, Subject Zero was fucking bored. Of course, given the mess that they were in (seriously, fucking space zombies?), that was supposed to be a good thing. A definite improvement; as compared to getting shot by a missile and crash-landing. But still, her adrenaline was pumping and she was itching to get into the fight. And waiting certainly didn't help. Sighing impatiently, the volatile biotic glanced around the carriage, her gaze settling on the green-skinned man who was seated opposite her.

The Drell assassin was the embodiment of calm. His eyes were closed and his legs crossed. Across his lap lay his sniper rifle. Mordin meanwhile, was busying himself with the tram controls, humming some fucking awful tune about being a Salarian scientist.

"Are we there yet?" Jack snapped, her question directed at Mordin. "If I don't get some zombies to rip into tiny bite-sized pieces soon, I may break something."

The Salarian stopped singing and turned around to look at her. Since they had parted ways with the rest of Shepard's crew, Mordin had not stopped grinning like an idiot, much to Jack's chagrin.

"And why the fuck, are you so happy?" Jack grumbled, crossing her arms over her heavily-tattooed chest. Mordin's beaming face was projecting invisible rays of sunshine and positivity which were almost as harmful to her as rainbows and pink unicorns.

"Description of my emotional state inaccurate. 'Happy' an understatement!" Mordin began good-naturedly.

"Fascinated by organism which attacked Shepard. Reanimation of dead tissue a new phenomenon! Troubling, yes, but scientific curiosity takes precedence over safety concerns or common sense! Cannot wait to study afore-mentioned 'life forms'." At this, Mordin gleefully highlighted the words 'life forms' with a pair of air quotes.

Jack groaned. "Right, fucking hilarious..."

She was cut off by the humourless drone of an Elcor filling the carriage, as an advertisement for an all-Elcori cast of "Hamlet" began to play. Juxtaposed with the image of a heavily armed assassin, an emotionally unstable biotic and a hyper-hamster-on-coffee Salarian scientist, Jack suddenly found their current situation slightly amusing.

"A Salarian, a Drell and a Human on a train. I'm sure I've heard of a joke like that from somewhere." Jack remarked dryly.

Thane's eyelids flickered open.

"A Salarian, a Drell and a Human…" he murmured, deep in thought. His eyelids twitched open and shut twice in rapid succession.

His pupils began to dilate, as if blinded by an incandescent light.

"I remember them. All three of them. Seared into my mind, like the relentless sun which scorches the barren world of Rakhana."

There was a distant look in the Drell's eyes, as if lost in another world on another time. He spoke quickly, as if recounting a vivid memory which he didn't want to lose.

"Nightfall. The air, choked with pollution. I stand atop a balcony, weapon in my hand, eye to the scope."

"Traffic in all directions. People walking, talking… laughing. Ribbons of light, illuminating the night. But I see only the Salarian. Alone on a crowded street, on a bench. Reading. A smile comes to his lips. His hand moves to his omni-tool. Mine moves to the trigger."

"An outtake of breath. A squeeze of the trigger. The Salarian is no longer smiling. He no longer knows such joys. He never will."

Thane's hands were now gripped on the barrel of the sniper rifle. He blinked rapidly.

"I turn to leave. And in a moment, everything unfolds. Something shatters behind me. I turn to face it. A human stands in the broken doorway, pointing a gun at me. He's wearing a uniform. I can do nothing else, but react. Amonkira, Lord of hunters, guides my hand. Biotic energy, surges through my body."

"In another moment, the human is no more. He lies upon the quiet ground, his body broken. Dust motes swirl around him, like flower petals on an evening breeze. I look at his uniform again. An intake of breath. It's a security officer's uniform. He was innocent."

"All that is left is a Drell. A Drell left to his memories. His memories left to the mercies of time. All those memories will eventually be lost in time…like tears in the rain."

Thane slowly released his grip upon the rifle as his tale came to an end. A moody silence filled the tram carriage.

"Curious. Wonder what the Salarian was reading. Inference: an engrossing narrative, to have missed Thane's laser spotter." Mordin added brightly.

Jack raised an eyebrow. "I thought jokes were supposed to be funny."

"It wasn't a joke," Thane replied. "It was a memory. Of lives I have taken. Of sins I cannot ever hope to absolve myself of."

An awkward silence momentarily fell between them again.

"Perhaps humor appropriate to relieve mission tension!" Mordin remarked, "Personal interest in comedy negligible, but know several jokes myself. Will tell it, if all agreeable."

Jack scowled. "This better not be another lame, punny joke or shitty emotional story." Still, her interest was piqued and she leaned forward expectantly.

Thane said nothing, only appearing slightly miffed that Jack had called the painful recount from his memories a 'shitty emotional story'.

The Salarian cleared his throat and stepped away from the tram control panel, pacing around the carriage like a stand-up comedian on a stage.

"An Asari walks into a bar. What did the bartender ask her?"

Jack shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, you got me. What did he ask her?"

Mordin's eyes glimmered in anticipation as he readied himself to deliver the punchline.

"Why so blue?"

With a groan, Jack pinched her nose bridge and flopped back onto her seat. Thane chuckled in appreciation.

Mordin frowned. "Unsatisfactory? Joker shared with me a funnier one. About a Krogan and a Salarian on a…"

Without warning, the tram lurched forward as it slowed to a sudden halt. The lights in the tram flickered on and off, as if indecisive, before extinguishing itself and plunging the compartment into darkness.

Jack and Thane instinctively leapt from their seats and pulled out their weapons, attached flashlights turned on. It felt like the proverbial calm before the storm to Jack. In her experience, power outages like these were bad news.

"What the fuck...are any of you pussies hurt?" she asked, her eyes scanning the poorly lit tram interiors.

"Shaken. But fine." Mordin replied as he furiously jabbed away at the touchscreen panel. "Problematic. Power lines for entire sector disrupted. Causes unknown. Entire district's power grid may be unstable. Attempting to utilize tram's emergency reserves…"

"Do you hear that?" Thane suddenly spoke, his body tensed up in alertness. "From the end of the tunnel, it sounds like…"

Straining her ears in the darkness and keeping a tight grip on her weapon, Jack heard nothing except the ringing silence of the tram carriage, but gradually began to pick up the unmistakable sounds of...

"Screams and gunshots," she finished for him. "Finally, some fucking action!"

"Solid analysis and hypothesis," Mordin said with a nod of his head. With a flourish, he tapped on his omnitool screen and the tram came alive once more. Light flooded the compartment and machinery clinked and hummed into action as the tram picked up speed, the synthetic voice of the tram's public announcement system filling the compartment not long after.

"Approaching Residential District."

As their ride zeroed in upon their destination, screams and gunfire echoed with increasing clarity from beyond the tunnel; the universal language of conflict. With a sense of impending doom, the tram turned around the last corner and the tram platform came into view. The sight which they beheld was beyond what any of them had remotely expected. The station was ablaze. Bright flames licked at the ceiling and pillars, smoggy fumes clouding the platform, but not enough to conceal the carnage. Shards of glass from shattered monitors and platform screen doors were strewn all over the ground, which was also streaked with splashes of crimson blood and littered with pieces of discarded luggage and personal possessions.

People were screaming and running in all direction as a horde of…something…descended upon them. At a first glance, the attackers looked to be ordinary people consisting of mostly Humans and a few Turians. However, this first impression couldn't be further from the terrifying truth. They were bloodied, misshapen creatures with horribly twisted features, sporting all manners of ghastly injuries and even ghastlier extra appendages, tipped with sharp bones and claws. Some were missing entire limbs, flailing about with bloodied stumps or had large scraps of flesh and skin torn and hanging from their bodies, all howling and shrieking as they descended upon the helpless civilians. It was a terrible sight to behold, the mutated dead viciously attacking and tearing into the living, sending blood spraying into the air and across the ground as the mass of bodies continued to collide chaotically on the platform.

One of the monsters caught up with an unfortunate man, who went down wailing for his life as the creature sliced off his legs. With vicious efficiency, the creature began its bloodied dismemberment of the unlucky soul. An Alliance soldier decked out in heavy armor rushed forward and tried shooting ineffectively at the offending monster with his pistol, only to be decapitated by an unseen appendage from somewhere behind him. All around them, the crowd began to be cut down, blood erupting as they screamed for their lives. A sobbing Asari held a hand out in a futile effort to stop the advance of a mutated Turian corpse, only to have that limb severed in a mess of blood before her head soon followed.

With the tram now nearing the district, everything was in clear sight; the bloody streaks upon the floor, the gruesomely mutilated torsos and limbs strewn about carelessly and the monsters…which resembled the thing which had attacked Shepard earlier in the Transport Hub. There was now no doubt in Jack, Mordin and Thane's minds now that the threat of the reanimated corpses was very real. Shepard's attacker was not an isolated case, not a one-of-a-kind freak of nature. There were many more infesting the station and they were everywhere. Some of the panicking civilians noticed the tram and several made a desperate dash for it, despite the horde of creatures barring the way.

One man succeeded in slipping by the creatures. He clambered atop an abandoned container crate and actually made a leap for the still moving tram. Unfortunately, he missed.

Instead of landing upon the roof, he fell right into the oncoming path of the tram and slammed headfirst into the windscreen. With a sickening crunch, Mordin, Jack and Thane watched in horror as their view was suddenly awash with a mosaic of crimson red, flesh and brain matter. Rivulets of blood streaked down the front window as the body slid off and was crushed underneath the tram.

"Fuck! What the fuck do we do?" Jack yelled, completely shaken by the slaughter around her.

"We're running out of time. They won't last a second longer. I will assist them." Without another word of warning, Thane backed up against the other side of the carriage and took a running jump, leaping off the moving tram through a window. Shards of glass exploded outwards as he flipped gracefully and rolled onto the platform; right into the horde of monsters. Jack and Mordin stared at each other in disbelief.

"He's one crazy motherfucker, and that's coming from me," Jack said to Mordin. As she spun around to leap off the tram too however, she came face to face with something out of a nightmare. One of the undead creatures had managed to board the tram.

It's lower jaws were utterly missing, revealing the gory mess of what remained of its throat. It's eyes were pallid white, its head hanging off its neck by a strip of bloodied and tattered skin. And instead of arms, it had a pair of fleshy, scythe-like appendages. The creature snarled and brought its scythe down with incredible force and speed. Thankfully, Jack had a half-a-second quicker reflex, firing her shotgun instinctively at it and sending it sprawling with a roar. Its warm blood coating her skin, Jack grinned like an animal and advanced on her downed prey, her hand raised and glowing blue with biotic energy.

"Oh you want to dance, motherfucker? YOU WANT TO DANCE? EAT THIS!" She ran forward and leapt into the air just as the creature was staggering back onto its feet and slammed black down on its torso with devastating force. Her biotic-coated fist smashed into its chest, creating a gory mess as she caved its chest in, snapping ribs and rupturing its heart and lungs, blood exploding into her face and momentarily blinding her.

It was at that moment that the tram hit an unseen obstruction. It shuddered and came to an abrupt halt, throwing Jack forward. Her vision filled with red, she scrabbled for something to hold on to as she rolled forward, tumbling head over ass until she collided with the wall with an indignant "fuck!". As she scrambled to her feet, wiping her face furiously, she barely registered Mordin's shouting before she heard a loud growl and an atrophying hand closed around her neck, yanking her into the air.

"Holy fuck!" Jack kicked at the Turian corpse which was holding on to her as it pulled back with a large, bladed arm, preparing to run her through. It roared, blue blood exploding onto her face as the Turian's head split open like a giant maw, exposing a mass of black, mutated brain matter, dangling eyeballs and writhing clumps of fleshy tentacles. "HOLY FUCK!"

Seconds before the creature could gut her, Mordin sprang forward and fired off his cryo blast at the Turian corpse. The super-cooled subatomic particles slammed into the creature's outstretched arm, instantly flash-freezing it. As it howled, taken by surprise and thrown off balance, the former STG operative swiftly brought up his sub-machine gun and fired at the frozen appendage with expert precision, shattering it into pieces. Jack was immediately released from its choking grip and hit the deck, gasping for breath while Mordin advanced, firing burst after burst at the creature's torso, sending it staggering back with each hit. When two more salvos appeared to have no effect on the creature, the Salarian scientist raised his omnitool and activated his other tech power. This time, a high-explosive plasma round impacted the corpse, setting it alight. It thrashed and flailed about, finally collapsing in a blackened and charred heap as Mordin stared at it coldly, his expression grim.

But he was all smiles once again as he holstered his weapon and stooped down, offering a hand to Jack who accepted it gratefully. As the scientist pulled her up, Jack nodded her thanks to her savior, awed by his display of ruthless combat efficiency.

"Wow doc, that was fucking brilliant," the bald woman commented when her breath returned, retrieving her shotgun from where it had fallen near the first corpse. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Mordin nodded, smiling. "Blue Suns mercs on Omega thought the same about me. Killed them before they could make same mistake twice."

Jack whistled, admiration in her eyes.

A set of inhuman howls interrupted them, bringing their attention to four more creatures, all as frightening and malformed as the previous two, as they shambled onto the tram.

"Problematic," Mordin muttered.

* * *

**Charlie Squad - Thane**

Meanwhile, Thane had his hands full.

After landing spectacularly on the platform, he came to a complete stop in front of a mutated female Human corpse, just in time to see it stab a man through the chest with a set of bony spikes which protruded from its hands, which had been twisted a full 180 degrees from their normal positions. It hissed as it saw him, dropping the lifeless male body it had impaled. It cocked its bloodied face to one side, ignoring the other civilians running behind it and charged the Drell, screaming like a savage. Thane clenched his fists and ran forward to meet the creature's charge head-on.

He dodged the monster's stabbing attacks effortlessly, drawing upon the many years of his assassin training and counter-attacked with several punches to its torso to stun it and finishing off with a powerful roundhouse kick to its head, snapping its neck with a loud crack. As it tumbled to the ground, Thane became aware of two more creatures joining the fray, and could see about ten more remaining on the platform, butchering the remaining civilians and howling in bestial delight. A disheartening number of dead bodies now lay maimed and bloodied around him, and the number of survivors were slowly decreasing by the second, their haunting screams ringing in his ears.

Thane narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath, imprinting the locations of all twelve of his adversaries into his mind. Uttering a final prayer to Arashu, goddess of protection, he began his attack.

He shrouded himself in his biotics, enhancing his speed and strength as he sprinted toward the two approaching corpses. He ducked underneath the wild swings of the first, sweeping with his left foot in a wide arc and tripping the corpse, sending it crashing to the ground before fully extending the same leg and bringing it up, kicking the second corpse down in one fluid motion. Before it hit the ground, Thane had already whipped out his weapon with blinding speed and fired a burst into each opponent's chest.

Ten more remaining.

Thane holstered his weapon and dashed as fast as he could toward his next targets, a terrified family of four being cornered against a wall by three of the creatures. He launched himself into the air just as the father was cut down by the creatures, trying to shield his Asari wife and children. As the mother and children screamed in terror, watching as the monsters drove their bladed arms again and again through the Human male's body, Thane descended upon the creature in the middle of the group. His biotic-enhanced kick completely destroyed the creature's head, bursting it open like a ripe fruit and painting the others with its red blood and brain matter. Not waiting to watch the headless corpse drop lifelessly to the ground in a heap, Thane twisted his body to the left as he landed, unleashing a flurry of punches at the nearest creature.

Right hand forward, punch to the heart. The creature staggered backward. Left hand forward, blow to the stomach. The creature bent over, howling. Right hand upward, uppercut to the chin, neck snap. Thane's fist smashed into the creature's jaw with a crunch, making its head snap upwards as it fell backward, lower jaw hanging off its skull in a bloody mess.

Eight more remaining.

The last creature nearly scored a hit on the Drell assassin from behind, but the Asari woman had intervened. A blue biotic field surrounded the last of the trio of undead monsters, slowly twisting its limbs and breaking its bones. As a non-combatant, her warp was weak and only partially effective, and the creature continued to struggle toward her, raising its arms threateningly. Thane didn't give it that chance and hit it with his own biotic warp, closing his hand into a fist and crushing its head into a bloody pulp. With the three assailants dispatched, the woman collapsed, sobbing in relief as she hugged her two young children tightly in her arms.

"Thank you, thank you so much! Oh, praise the goddess..."

Thane nodded solemnly at the Asari as she shielded her children from the corpse of their father, still crying and shaking uncontrollably. He stretched out with a hand and gently grasped the Asari's shoulder.

"Ma'am. Please make haste, take your family and hide underneath one of the benches. There are still more of the creatures around us, but I will protect you." Thane paused as he heard several more howls and screams, glancing over at the remaining seven monsters in the distance which were still attacking the other civilians. There were not many survivors left, and he was running out of time. "No harm shall befall you as long as I draw breath, that I promise you. Now, go, and may Kalihari watch over your beloved's brave soul."

As the Asari scrambled to her feet to do as he had instructed, guiding her family behind a pillar and out of sight, a series of guttural growls and howls made him turn around to a truly disturbing sight.

Every single one of the monsters which he had defeated moments ago were back on their feet and advancing toward him, still sporting their newly-inflicted and supposedly-fatal injuries. The five undead horrors closed in on the Drell, some missing heads and others with gaping wounds in their chests, but all still very much alive. Thane breathed in sharply, only one word crossing through his mind.

Impossible.

The creatures didn't hesitate and immediately attacked all at once, a series of deadly swipes and stabs directed at Thane, who was still shocked and now forced on to the defensive. Seeing no other way out from the deadly encirclement of the undead, he finally decided to unleash his full biotic ability upon his attackers, intending to destroy them so utterly and completely that they may never rise again. But he knew that this approach would take a great toll on his body and energy levels, and he had to end the fight quickly or risk being overwhelmed.

With a surge of biotic energy, he grabbed onto and tore off one of the monster's sharpened limbs as it tried to stab him and narrowly missed getting impaled by the other behind it as he continued to duck, weave and dodge between the mass of corpses. The force of its dismemberment swung the creature into another of its fellows and they both went down. Ignoring their screams, the Drell assassin continued to attack and swiftly leveled his sub-machine gun at another creature's head and pulled the trigger. Its head disappeared in a rupture of gore, spraying him with fresh blood as he bashed another over the head with the weapon and punched through its skull with a biotic-empowered fist.

To his unpleasant surprise, the headless thing brought up its lethal limbs again for a death blow. Without another moment's hesitation, Thane unleashed a torrent of biotic energy which sent the monster flying into another standing behind it. They both tumbled down in a disheveled heap. The Drell summoned his strength once more and performed a powerful warp. In an instant, the two monsters were twisted and crushed beyond all recognition, leaving them twitching masses of bloody flesh.

With almost all of his opponents once again down and out, Thane prepared to stop and catch his breath. There was only one left, but the familiar tightness of his chest brought about by his illness had started to return, indicating an urgent need for him to immediately stop all combat and strenuous physical exertions, or risk collapsing right there and then. To make his current situation even more dire, another set of inhuman cries alerted him to four more corpses shambling towards him, their gruesome limbs outstretched. Getting more and more concerned by the second, he realized that these four newcomers were from the other side of the platform.

With no choice but to continue fighting despite his rapidly deteriorating condition, the assassin ignored the excruciating pain building up in his chest and called upon the last remaining reserves of his biotic powers, releasing them to send three of the corpses flying back as his biotic shock wave slammed into them. The undead slammed into the far wall with bone-shattering force, dropping to the ground in a heap. With no time to even check if they were getting up again, Thane holstered his sub-machine gun and armed himself with the sniper rifle strapped to his back. With a well-placed shot, the high calibre round ripped the right arm of the sole advancing creature straight off and sent the monster staggering back. With another, its head disappeared in a burst of red. By then, the monster was upon him.

Wielding his sniper rifle like a staff, he blocked the creature's savage blows, being pushed backward as it threw itself forward against his block, shoving him in the opposite direction. Even though it had only one arm left, the strength that the creature possessed was incredible. As the monster raised its arm yet again, Thane took opportunity of the opening presented to him to spin his rifle around, barrel thrusting at the creature's joint where the arm met the torso. Thane pulled the trigger and its remaining arm was blown away in a splatter of decomposed flesh and bones. The monster finally collapsed to the ground, unmoving and staring back up at its killer with its bloodied and empty eye sockets.

"Removing their limbs seems to be the only way to put them down for sure," Thane realized. Not that it made his job any easier, for the remaining monsters had finally found him.

* * *

**Charlie Squad - Jack and Mordin**

With a ferocious war-cry, Jack ripped off the limb of one of the undead monsters with a biotic warp and blasted away at its head with her sidearm. Behind her, Mordin succeeded in destroying one completely by alternating between cryo freezes and then incinerating it with his omnitool, shattering it into tiny, diamond-like shards. But they were only two and the undead was legion. Already, more were heading for the tram, attracted by the noise of gunshots.

Already, they had burnt through half of their thermal clips just to take down a total of four corpses. The undead were unbelievably resilient, able to take incredible amounts of punishment before going down. And there were still at least six more trying to sink their blades into their living flesh.

"These fuckers don't go down even with headshots! Seriously? What the fuck?" shouted Jack over the din of the battle as she tore yet another head off with her biotic powers. "Any ideas?" She cursed, as the first headless and one-armed creature started to rise again, wildly swinging its remaining bladed arm like a windmill.

"Creatures are reanimated corpses," replied Mordin, "Thus immune to and unable to feel pain. Immune to shock from blood-loss, multiple organ damage and even decapitation. Problematic. Conventional tactics ineffective. My current diagnosis…" Mordin paused as he froze and incinerated yet another one of those monsters, "…must sever all limbs and inflict sudden head trauma…with full prejudice."

A new, high-pitched shriek alerted the duo to a new type of creature climbing aboard the tram, behind the group of monsters already clamouring to get to them. It was a dead Human, with bloody gashes across its body and part of its skull bashed in, but instead of a bony, cleaver-like attachment to its arms, it was dragging a large, pulsating, glowing, pus colored sac along the ground. The corpse walked much more slowly than the other creatures and actually looked more sickly and diseased than dangerous. However, Mordin didn't want to take any chances and decided to immediately eliminate the new variable from afar. Calling up his omnitool tech power once again, he launched an incinerate at it, setting the creature on fire.

Two things happened.

Firstly, Mordin's omnitool flashed red, indicating that he had only one shot of each of his tech powers remaining.

Secondly, as he glanced down at the device, he missed the flames creeping down the creature's mutated body to where the ominous-looking pustule was. As the sac itself was finally shrouded in a blanket of fire, the chemicals contained within the organ began to react.

Violently.

The last thing which Jack registered was a deafening blast. Suddenly, she felt herself get picked up and thrown across the tram like a rag-doll by a tremendous force. Mutilated limbs and burnt flesh sailed through the air with her. She felt herself hit something hard, heard a sharp crunch, felt excruciating pain shoot up her right arm, and then… darkness.

* * *

**Charlie Squad - Thane**

Thane spun his head around. A ear-splitting explosion had ripped through from somewhere behind him. As his eyes lay upon the source of the combustion though, his heart sank. It was the tram carriage. A gaping hole had been torn into its exterior. Dismembered bodies lay all around the newly formed fissure in the tram and from within, blackened smoke poured out. And it was the very same tram carriage where Jack and Mordin had been.

The ghastly cries of the undead monsters however, brought him back to the problem at hand. Thane once again dodged and tore off the arm of the creature closest to him, but by now, he was getting exhausted. Using his biotics again and again was straining his stamina and his ailing health certainly didn't help.

The monster lurched forward and tried once more to impale the drell but Thane used his biotics to bring a near-by corpse to take the blow instead. With the torn-off, bladed limb of the creature still being gripped tightly in his hand however, an idea dawned upon him. He would use the creatures' 'weapons' against them.

Thane brought the severed appendage down upon the attacking monster. In a slash, its remaining arm and head tumbled to the ground. In another slash, its two legs gave way and the limbless and headless torso collapsed harmlessly onto the ground as well. There was no time to catch his breath however. The Drell brought up the corpse just in time as yet another monster stumbled forward to take its fallen comrade's place.

With a beastly cry, the creature plunged both its scythes into the corpse, attempting to hack his way through to Thane. The assassin dodged, parried yet another slash and stabbed back, successfully slicing off his head and 2 arms with a bloody, fell swoop.

Two more had reached Thane just as the lifeless body of the monster was swept aside. Thane blocked an overhead blow with the corpse, dodged another and brought up the limb just in time to parry another strike. As the Drell thwarted yet another blow with the corpse however, this time round, the creature's appendages were embedded into Thane's "shield".

Thane tried ineffectively to pull the body away from the hook-like grip of the monster's scythe. Another slash was coming from the side. Thane reacted swiftly and switched to his biotics, but it was at that moment that his health finally failed him. His chest contracted, sending him into a coughing fit as the wind was knocked out of him. His sword and shield tumbled out of his grasp as he clutched at his chest, doubled over and coughing violently.

The bone blade went straight into his thigh and out through the other side. With a grunt of pain, the Drell hastily went for his sub-machine gun but the other monster; both its limbs still stuck in the corpse, ran into him and propelled Thane right onto the ground.

The weapon tumbled from his hands as he went down, with the thrashing monster on top of him and the corpse between them. He was now pinned by the combined weight of two bodies, one of them very much alive. The other creature, still standing, brought up his limbs to perform the coup-de-grace. Thane was bleeding profusely from the leg. Time seemed to grind to a halt and his aching body responded even slower yet as he brought his free hand up to launch a biotic shield but in that instant, he knew it was too late.

Almost as if in a dreamlike state, he saw everything move in painfully slow-motion. Electric pulses of purplish-blue biotic energy engulfed his outstretched hand as he struggled to get a shield up in time. He could feel every beat of his pounding heart; hear every last of his desperate breath in perfect clarity. His gazed shifted from his hand to the creature towering above. The monster was a dark silhouette against the blinding, white light which framed its body. Its razor sharp limbs were descending down upon him, on its way to extinguish his life. His last thoughts were of Irikah. He wondered if she awaited him beyond the sea. He wondered if she would forgive him.

* * *

**Location: Titan Station Hospital Tram, 1225 hrs**

**Alpha Squad - Shepard**

While she waited for Garrus to return, hopefully with the good news that he was able to establish contact with the rest of her team, Naomi sat silently watching over her injured squadmate.

Miranda had managed to fall asleep, her breathing slow but steady. Naomi smiled as her XO rested, a serene expression on her face. No doubt the extensive genetic modifications done to the raven-haired woman had allowed her to survive her earlier encounter with the zombie. Recalling one of the previous conversations that they had, Naomi remembered that Miranda's body had an advanced healing factor which had most likely helped in stopping the bleeding and stabilizing her condition.

An ordinary Human would have died, Naomi thought with a shake of her head, but she knew that Miranda was also not out of danger yet. Miranda may have been engineered to be the perfect Human specimen, but even she couldn't possibly regenerate and replenish several pints of blood in the next few hours. Like Garrus had said, she needed urgent medical attention and most likely a generous amount of blood transfusions. Medigel could only do so much, and until they reached the hospital, the only things that they could do now was to hope for the best and wish the tram could move faster.

With nothing else to do at the moment, Naomi glanced down at the hand which the zombie in the Transport Hub had bitten, looking past the holes in her glove and seeing a series of slightly reddish marks on her skin. At this, she couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. Even with the aid of medigel, there was no way that a wound that deep could have healed so quickly. There was not even any scabbing to speak of, the wound had been completely sealed up and had been healed over and the reddish tint was actually due to the thin layer of new skin growing over the previously injured area.

Naomi clenched her fist and turned slowly to observe Miranda's sleeping form, wondering once again if Project Lazarus had intentionally rebuilt her with added regenerative capabilities, among other things. This was not the first time that the Commander had discovered that her injuries were healing faster than a normal Human's should, and that she was physically stronger and faster than she had been before she perished on the first Normandy. Neither The Illusive Man nor Miranda had bothered to go into the details regarding the changes that Cerberus may have had done to her body, and Naomi had been unwilling to approach the subject herself.

Although they had promised her that she was rebuilt to be as exactly as she had been before she died, and that she wasn't a clone, Naomi had never fully believed them. Physically she was fine and even stronger, but her emotional state had been adversely affected. She kept a strong front in front of her crew and close friends, but inside, she was doubting everything that she had been told about herself. For days after her resurrection, she had been plagued with frightening and haunting nightmares about her state of existence, that she was just some organic construct wearing a dead woman's face, pretending to be someone she was not.

The mission and imminent threat of the Collectors and the Reapers had helped to take most of her mind off such disturbing thoughts, and her positive, bubbly and playful personality which she had retained after her resurrection had definitely helped her to cope. But then she remembered with a shudder, the horrifying vision of Kaiden Alenko, and wondered if she had finally started to break down.

Naomi bit her lip and forced herself to stop thinking such dark thoughts. Leaning forward, she propped up her elbows on her lap and tucked both her hands underneath her chin, staring down at the space between her feet and trying to keep her mind as blank as possible. Not long after, she heard the carriage door slide open and a pair of armored feet shuffled into view.

"Garrus," Naomi smiled and looked up.

A bloodied Kaiden Alenko snarled, leveling a gun at her head as she screamed.

* * *

**Alpha Squad - Garrus**

Garrus nearly jumped out of his scales and drew back his hand as though he had been burnt when Naomi suddenly screamed in shock. Her eyes went wide, the expression on her face one of utter terror as she scrambled to her feet, drawing her pistol and aiming it at his face. Her hand was shaking violently and she brought up another hand to steady the grip on her weapon, still keeping the gun trained on his head, her chest heaving as she took rapid breaths in an effort to calm herself.

Garrus threw both his hands up instinctively, feeling shocked, completely bewildered and frankly, terrified that Shepard might actually fire and blow his head right off his shoulders.

"Spirits! Shepard, I'm sorry that I startled you! Please, calm down...put the gun down...it's me, Garrus!" He said hurriedly, trying to speak as gently and soothingly as possible, which was admittedly quite hard when your voice was naturally low and had a distinctive flanging effect. Garrus Vakarian was never a good negotiator.

Naomi still looked terrified, but there was now anger in her eyes as she jabbed the barrel of the gun into Garrus' fringe, making him flinch. Correction, Garrus Vakarian should never be allowed to become a negotiator.

"You're not real!" She yelled in his face, removing one hand from her pistol and grabbing him around the neck. "What do you want? What are you? Tell me!"

Garrus couldn't believe his eyes and his ears. Shepard had completely lost it! Momentarily stunned into inaction, he believed that the proper Human expression for such a situation was 'what the fuck?', and was just about to utter that particular line when Shepard tightened her grip on his neck, making him gasp. In reflex, he used one hand to shove Naomi's weapon away from his head just as she pulled the trigger, shattering the glass window behind him in an almighty explosion of glass. Clenching his other hand into a fist, Garrus pulled back and punched Shepard, _the_ Commander Shepard, right in the face.

The redhead flew backwards, blood gushing from her nose as she crashed onto the carriage floor, stunned. Garrus stared at his hand, horrified, and thought that he had knocked her out but a few seconds later, Naomi groaned, a hand flying up to feel her bloodied face as she shook her head, blinking rapidly. Her green eyes refocused on Garrus and they widened once again, this time in surprise. A few long seconds of silence passed between them, with neither one of them moving a single muscle until Naomi finally pulled the back of her hand across her face to wipe it, smearing her left cheek with blood as she slowly got up.

Garrus eyed her warily as Naomi wobbled to her feet, bending down to pick up her dropped pistol, still not saying anything to him or even looking in his direction. As she half-rose and holstered her weapon, she slowly looked up at him through her red bangs while biting her lower lip, as though waiting for him to speak.

"What...well, what was that?" Garrus finally spoke, unable to find the words to describe the bizarre incident that had just transpired, slowly moving forward to inspect the damage to her face. Fortunately, despite the big streak of blood across the left side, her nose was not broken.

Naomi turned away from his intense stare, still biting her lip, looking as though she was carefully formulating a reply in her mind. "You scared me back there, Garrus, and yes, I know I kind of overreacted..."

Garrus growled, his mandibles twitching. He placed a hand on her cheek trying to make her face him but Naomi pushed that hand away, exhaling loudly. "I'm fine, Garrus. Really."

"Bullshit. You almost shot me in the head, Naomi. What is wrong with you?" Garrus tried to shift his body to look at her face, but she matched his actions and turned in the opposite direction, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Drop it, Garrus. Please, I'm fine."

Garrus finally lost his patience and grasped hold of his Commander's shoulders, spinning her around to face him with a yelp. "What happened to you, Naomi? You haven't really been yourself ever since the Transport Hub," his tone softened as he continued. "I'm worried about you. It was like you were hallucinating just now, talking to someone else. I'm asking you as your lover, please, tell me what is going on."

Naomi looked up, her expression hard.

"And I'm asking you as your Commanding Officer, to drop the subject."

Garrus looked like she had just slapped him.

"Naomi-"

"Enough, Garrus. If I say I'm fine, then I am fine. Now, please let go of me."

The Turian didn't comply, still looking intently at her, his expression containing both anger and sadness.

"Why must you keep doing this? I can help you. We can help you. That's why we are a team, Naomi," Garrus said softly. "Ever since Cerberus brought you back, I could see something big troubling you. The rest may not be able to see it but I did. You try to hide it with your humor, your missions, you try to pretend that everything's alright but I know it's not. I know you are trying to be strong, to show that you can lead us on this suicide mission against the Collectors, but this isn't strength. All this...whatever it is that you are keeping to yourself, it's going to affect your ability to lead sooner or later, and you don't want that when we are knee-deep in the Collector base."

Garrus took a deep breath. "And now, your're starting to get these hallucinations or visions. Naomi, isn't it time to let me in? Let me help you."

A pause. "You can't help me," Naomi gave him a sad smile, "not with this. Believe me Garrus, you won't understand what I'm going through right now."

"Just tell me," Garrus sighed, exasperated.

"It's my own problem, and no one else's. And I'm very good at fixing problems, Garrus, I thought you would know that by now," Naomi said firmly, ignoring him. She felt his hands relax and stepped away, looking him in the eye. "Thanks for the concern, but I have got everything under control. I can handle it, Garrus, if you would just let me try and leave me be. My emotions got the better of me this time but I promise you, it won't happen again. And if the time ever comes, that, for whatever reason, I am unable to do my job as Commander, I know and take solace in the fact that you will be there to take over."

"Never," Garrus shook his head and whispered quietly, refusing to accept what Naomi had just said. "I'll never let it come to that."

He still wore that shocked expression on his face as Naomi stepped forward and hugged him, her head resting on his armored chest. "Just trust me, Garrus Vakarian," she murmured softly. His armor vibrated as he let out a long sigh. "Alright, Naomi. But know that if it ever becomes too much for the Savior of the Galaxy, I am always here for you." He ran a hand affectionately through her red hair, patting her on the back with his other hand.

Naomi smiled, nodding slowly and they parted when the tram rounded a bend, swaying gently as the long-awaited announcement was aired.

"Now arriving at Titan Station Hospital."

* * *

**Location: Somewhere above the Government Sector, 1240hrs**

**Echo Squad**

"Bakayaro," Kasumi said evenly.

"I'm sorry, what was that Kasumi?" Joker asked in a mockingly, innocent voice. "My Japanese isn't that good and neither is my reception, what with you out there in space, and me in the comfort of my very own chair."

The thief bit back a retort; the Normandy's pilot was probably just goading her on anyway. With a hint of resignation, she fastened yet another magnetic cable onto the stuck escape pod, before taking a deep breath and executing a slow-motion, controlled back flip onto the last remaining corner of the metal cylinder. When she landed soundlessly on the pod's surface, she wasted no time in tethering the last cable to the escape pod before standing triumphantly atop it to observe her handiwork. It was no easy feat given that she was in a zero-gravity vacuum and 'space-walks' wasn't one of her many talents. Being out physically and personally in space, without the protection of a ship's hull unnerved her, and was something she had little to no confidence in. She was too used to slinking in the shadows, lurking in dark corners and hiding in narrow places. In the vastness of space, she was completely exposed. One small rupture, one small slip, one small mistake, and she could be tumbling into the infinite darkness of space, gasping and choking for air.

Another reason for her strong dislike of space walks? Namely because it was just so darn uncomfortable. The bulky and clunky space hardsuit worn over her usual, skintight thieving suit pressed into all the wrong places and made her feel like a giant, overweight sushi.

"Alright Joker, I've secured the pod. Reel it in, unless you want me to do it for you as well."

"You could reel it in for me? Why, thank you Kasumi. And an espresso too while you're at it."

"Joker, I know for a fact that you have a certain fetish with a certain Commander. I also know for a fact that you've unwisely stored fan-drawn erotica of the said person in a poorly disguised file on your private terminal. It would be a real shame if these files were...I don't know...leaked to the rest of the ship, don't you think?" Kasumi folded her arms and smirked.

There was a brief silence over the radio.

"You wouldn't." replied a horrified Joker.

"Well, that remains to be seen. Reel this pod in first and maybe we can start discussing the terms of your surrender," laughed Kasumi.

"I did warn you about your terminal security, Mr Moreau," EDI stated, matter-of-factly. Joker squirmed uncomfortably his seat and shot EDI a 'now is not a good time' look.

"Alright, bringing the escape pod into the hangar. Watch your head Kasumi."

"Joker?"

"Yup?"

"I was bluffing. I've never accessed your terminal before. Thanks for the trivia though."

Joker face-palmed himself, taking extra care not to break his own nose.

* * *

As the air pressure in the hangar stabilized once more, several of the crew members poured in to assist Kasumi in extracting the survivors, ready to whisk the occupants of the escape pod into the medical bay if need be. The escape pod, an unremarkable cylinder, lay upon the hangar floor with cables still attached to it, right next to the Normandy's M-44 Hammerhead Tank. With a hiss of released gases, Kasumi detached her breathing apparatus and helmet, tossing it unceremoniously to the side as she stumbled clumsily toward the escape pod in her hardsuit.

"You won't believe how stiflingly hot it is with both a helmet and hood on!" Kasumi pouted, complaining to the members of the crew assembled around her. "You know, I just wish there were more people on this ship who had experience in working in zero-G environments..."

Nervous and embarrassed scratching of heads, shifting of feet, and coughs all around.

Kasumi grinned at their discomfort and turned her attention to the escape pod's hatch. Standard space station emergency evacuation model, she observed, able to hold a maximum of four individuals, although Joker had informed her that there was only a couple inside. Seeing as the occupants were not going to exit the pod on their own any time soon, Kasumi grasped the wheel on the hatch with both hands, trying to turn it but to no avail.

"A little help, guys?" The petite Japanese woman huffed.

Working together with two of the more muscular Cerberus crew members, Kasumi finally got the hatch to pop open with a hiss. She nodded at her helpers, and on the count of three, they gingerly lifted the hatch-door away. Kasumi carefully inched towards the opening. The interior of the escape pod was oppressively dark and a stale odor of perspiration and rot wafted through the hatch. There was also the unmistakable metallic scent of blood.

Someone inside was whimpering like an injured animal.

"Anyone home?" She called out. With a mini-flashlight in hand, she shone a beam of light into the pod. Kasumi wrinkled her nose at the stench. There was a sharp intake of breath however, as the florescent light fell upon the occupants of the pod.

There were never two survivors, only one. A man lay huddled in a corner of the escape pod. His suit was torn and stained with coagulated blood. There was a frantic look in his eyes. And clutched in his embrace was all that remained of his wife.

"Everything's gonna be fine…" he whispered to the corpse in his arms, completely oblivious to Kasumi and the Normandy crew staring at him in abject horror. "Everything's gonna be just fine…"

**10 minutes later...**

"So what's the verdict doc?" Yeoman Kelly Chambers asked, her arms folded as she stared through the safety glass that separated the medical bay from the crew's quarters.

"Frankly? Not good at all," replied the venerable Dr. Chakwas. "He's fine physically, but the poor man has suffered severe psychological trauma. He's hallucinating, manic at times and sometimes outright dangerous both to himself and the crew around him. We should transfer him to a proper hospital for treatment and medication, and fast."

"And his...wife?" Kelly glanced at the survivor in the medical bay. The man had been restrained to a bed by a pair of handcuffs, still wearing his bloody clothes. He appeared to have calmed down considerably, thanks to the sedatives Dr. Chakwas had administered, and was slumped on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The doctor sighed. "That's the thing. He keeps demanding to see her. We tried telling him she's passed away, but he refuses to believe otherwise. For now, he has been buying the story that his wife is being operated on, but I don't know how long I can keep up this charade." Dr. Chakwas ended with a sad shake of her head.

"Let me try talking to him, doctor."

The gray-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "I beg your pardon, Miss Chambers, but I thought I had made his fragile mental state extremely clear-"

Kelly held up both of her hands, smiling. "I'm a qualified psychologist, doctor. I'm confident that I would be able to get through to him, and perhaps find out what exactly is going on in the station. Don't you think such information would be extremely helpful to the Commander on her mission?"

Dr. Chakwas frowned but could see Kelly's point. "Alright then, Miss Chambers. You may try your luck with him. But I think for your safety, I'll be sending Miss Goto in after you just in case. Please be careful."

"Thank you, doctor." The Normandy's resident ray of sunshine nodded as Dr. Chakwas turned to leave.

Kelly entered the medical bay and approached the survivor slowly, being careful not to startle him. He turned his head slowly to face her as she took a seat beside the bed, giving him one of her cheery smiles.

"Hello, there. I am Kelly Chambers," She said brightly, beginning by introducing herself. As she spoke, her eyes were trained on the man's face, watching for the changes to his facial expressions, trying to pick up the subtle but crucial signs which would tell her how to proceed with the session. The psychologist was pleased when the man's facial muscles relaxed and he gave her a small smile of his own.

"Hello there, Kelly. May...may I call you Kelly?" The survivor asked, his tone even and calm.

Kelly nodded and continued to smile at the man, pleased that his mental state seemed to be stable. And Dr. Chakwas had said that the man was insane...

"How are you feeling? What is your name?"

The man's eyes darted around the room, before settling back on Kelly's face. "Kelly, where is my wife? How is the progress on her surgery?"

Okay, maybe just a little insane.

"She's doing fine. Your wife is a very strong woman. Our highly skilled doctors are very optimistic on her chances," Kelly replied immediately without hesitation. "The two of you seem like a wonderful, loving couple."

The man blinked once and appeared to relax. A small smile formed on his lips. "Yes, I love her very much. Thank you, Kelly."

"So, how did you two meet?" Kelly asked, deciding that such a conversation topic would be the best way to get the man to be calm and open up at the same time.

"Believe it or not, we met in the same place where we would end up getting married. It's kind of like fate, really," The man smiled even wider, memories of happier times passing through his mind.

Kelly chuckled, nodding in agreement. "It sure is! Where was this place?"

"The Church..." the man began with the smile still on his face, but it quickly slipped away, an expression of fear forming on his face as he finished his sentence. "of Unitology..."

"What's wrong?"

The man swallowed, still looking fearful as his eyes once again started to dart all over the medical bay. "My wife and I were there this morning for Church service. The minister...he...he told us that it was time for us to ascend."

A spark of excitement passed through Kelly when she heard this, and she leaned forward. She paused to look over her shoulder, and once she saw that the crew deck was completely empty, spoke to the man in hushed tones. "You are a Unitologist?"

The man nodded, trembling slightly. "But both of us were not ready!" He wailed, tears coming to his eyes. "We weren't ready! My wife, she's pregnant with our first child. We can't...it wasn't time for us...we couldn't do it..." The man trailed off, sobbing.

"And so, we left. We ran, but then those things found us. Those terrible, horrible things..."

Kelly grasped onto his hand, leaning in even closer to the man's face. "Wait. I need you to think back carefully. Are you sure about the minister? Are you sure that he said it was time to ascend?"

The survivor nodded tearfully, shutting his eyes as the memories of the attack returned. At this, excitement coursed through Kelly's body as she stood up, knocking over the chair that she had been sitting on.

"It's finally time..." She breathed, shivering with barely-contained happiness and joy. She fumbled behind her, picking up the medical scalpel which lay upon Dr. Chakwas' tray of medical tools and raised it up in front of her where it glinted in the sharp lights of the medical bay.

This must be what Shepard's mission was all about. She had been told that they were going to recover and bring an artifact onto the Normandy, but never in her wildest dreams, had she thought that the artifact in question would be the Marker. The holy grail of Unitology had been found! Everyone of the faith had been told that ascension would be generations after their time. But, now, it was actually time to ascend!

"There is no need to fear ascension," Kelly said, positioning the blade over the survivor's neck, smiling giddily from her excitement.

The man's eyes flew open as he felt the cold steel being placed against his skin, his eyes widening and the pupils dilating. His frantic screams quickly turned into incomprehensible gurgles as Kelly cut into his neck. Warm red blood erupted, spraying into the air and coating her hands as she methodically sawed back and forth, the walls and bed rapidly staining red.

The entire galaxy's ascension was at hand. There was so much to be done! She had to prepare, not just herself, but the entire ship as well. Kelly looked down, seeing that half of the man's neck still remained. The survivor continued to thrash and jerk wildly on the bed, eyes slowly rolling back into his head as he continued to gurgle and eject copious amounts of blood in his death throes. Kelly raised the scalpel again.

"Altman be praised!"

* * *

**Echo Squad - Kasumi**

The elevator doors whooshed open and Kasumi strode out into the hangar.

"Silly, silly Kasumi," she muttered under her breath. The only reason that she was back in this room and not stretching out like a cat on her comfortable bed back in port observation was because of her hardsuit's helmet.

It was only after the thief had wiggled out of her hardsuit and stowed it back into her wall locker that she realized her helmet, which she had thrown to the side following her return from her space-walk, was missing.

"Baka..." Kasumi grumbled in Japanese, finally catching sight of the helmet and stalking toward it.

The spacious confines of the hangar felt empty, especially since Shepard and company had taken off in the Kodiak drop-shuttle. Currently, the only other occupant of the hangar was a technician who was hunched over the escape pod. Lying in a forlorn corner, right next to the M-44 Hammerhead Tank and wrapped in a body bag, was the survivor's wife. The Normandy had no appropriate place to store the corpse, and thus the crew had settled for the place which would have the least human traffic.

The only problem was, the body was no longer there.

Kasumi stared at the torn body bag. Had someone shifted the body to the medical bay for an autopsy ahead of her? But then why the hell would they not take the bag with them as well? Furthermore, as her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she saw the ominous red trail which lead out of the body bag and disappeared into the shadows on the far side of the hangar. Something was not quite right here.

She called out to the technician.

"Hey! Have you seen where the body went? Did someone move it?"

The technician didn't reply.

Kasumi's suspicions were fully kindled now. She drew her pistol, advancing on the crouching figure.

"I'm talking to you! Turn around!"

The technician's upper torso was partially concealed by the shadow of the M-44 Hammerhead Tank. He began to gurgle, a horrible, wet sound emanating from his throat.

Slowly and ominously, he turned around. A huge slash across his face had nearly split his head in half, an eyeball was dangling from an empty socket and his jaw hung from his face at an awkward angle. His intestines were drooping from a gaping wound in his abdomen and emerging from his shoulders were a pair of fleshy, scythe-like arms. As if all that wasn't enough, most of his skin and flesh had been torn apart to reveal the bloodied bones and muscle underneath.

Kasumi cried out at the ghastly sight, her heart leaping into her throat as she started to back away from the...thing as fast as she could.

The technician snarled and awkwardly got up.

Almost by reflex, Kasumi fired at the advancing creature. Despite the mounting terror the thief was experiencing, her aim was steady and her shot was true. Half its head disappeared in a shower of gore but yet it still kept shambling straight for her. She fired again, and again, and again, crying out in horror as she continued to retreat.

Each time the monster staggered a little, but either than that, it paid little attention to her shots.

As her sidearm clicked empty, Kasumi swore and spun around for the elevator. Behind her, she could hear the growls starting to get closer and closer but didn't dare stop to turn around. As she ran, she reached for her primary weapon, deciding to use something with more firepower against the monster, only to remember that her sub-machine gun was locked away in her personal quarters all the way back up at port observation. "Kuso!"

Upon reaching the lift, Kasumi crashed to a halt against the wall, tapping the controls frantically. The numbers on the display screen moved at an agonizingly slow pace, the numbers on the display seemingly mocking her predicament with each flash. 'Deck 2...Deck 3...'

The thief loaded another thermal clip into her pistol and fired rapidly at the still approaching creature. It was now merely 15 meters away. And each round which struck its torso seemed to achieve little effect. "Kuso!" Kasumi swore again, barely able to control her panic. What the hell? This thing was invincible! She had already shot it more than twenty times!

'Deck 4...'

Kasumi shifted her aim and fired at its legs. The creature tumbled down and screeched, but her relief was short-lived. As she watched in disbelief, it half-crawled, half-lumbered towards her like a rabid dog. She fired again, only to hear repeated clicks. A fresh wave of terror washed over her as a quick glance at her belt revealed no more thermal clips. And then, when all hope seemed lost...

'Deck 5- Hangar'

The elevator doors slid open and shouting in relief, Kasumi threw herself through the doors and into the safety of the metal box, rolling and coming to a stop near the middle of the elevator. Turning her head, and from her position on the elevator floor, she could see the crippled monster still crawling toward her, screeching like a banshee.

"Bye bye!" Kasumi grinned, lifting her leg up and slamming the button for one of the upper floors with her heel.

The doors closed upon the thing's disgusting face, the elevator shuddering as it made its way up through the bowels of the Normandy. Kasumi sighed in relief and slid her leg back down onto the floor, where it joined the rest of her trembling, adrenaline-filled body.

"Safe..." she muttered, tilting her head to face the ceiling.

And just by uttering that simple word, Kasumi Goto jinxed herself. The elevator lurched and shuddered to a halt, the lights flickering on and off before going out completely, throwing her into darkness.

* * *

The Normandy's problems are just beginning! Shepard's squad has finally reached the hospital, and guess which sleeping beauty lies within? All the other squads are in deep trouble! What else will happen next? Stay tuned, please comment, follow, favourite, review, ask questions, and thanks for reading! Gibbering Gemstone out!


	6. Escape

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

Hello Dear Readers! Chapter 6 is finally here! This more 16,690 words of a chapter took more than three weeks to write, mostly due to my rather hectic work schedule, but its size will hopefully more than make up for the long wait I have put you awesome people through! :) Remember Gabe Seers? He has drawn an amazing piece of art, illustrating a scene from chapter 3! If you are interested, head over to Deviantart and look under his name, Gabe Seers!

I'm not sure if you readers realize this, but there is a secret message in my chapter titles. Whoever can figure out the full message I am intending to spell out will be able to deduce the future direction of this story and get a really nice cookie! Now, without further ado, read on! This chapter will feature the very much-anticipated appearance of Dead Space's hero, Isaac Clarke!

**CHAPTER 6:** **E**scape

**Location: Titan Station Hospital, East Wing, Second Floor 1310 hrs**

**Alpha Squad**

Naomi gritted her teeth as the double doors to the operating theater shuddered for the umpteenth time. Their unseen assailant was throwing his weight against them again and again, hell-bent on gaining entry into the room. She continued to press her back against it, digging her heels into the ground as she strained to keep the crazy bastard out.

"What's the progress on that lock, Garrus? Sometime today would be nice!"

The Turian was on the far side of the dimly-lit room, currently wrestling with a mass of multi-colored wires and cables which were tumbling out of an electrical power box located on the wall. Despite his valiant efforts, it was a fight that he was losing.

Right in the middle of the operating theater, lying on top of a bloodstained operating table and blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding around her, was an unconscious Miranda Lawson. She was hooked to several life-support machines, monitoring equipment and a blood transfusion device, a single large screen displaying her vital signs in harsh green lines and numbers, accompanied by the slow but steady blip of her heartbeat. An oxygen mask was strapped over her face and several intravenous tubes, connected to the packets of blood hanging on a stand beside the table, snaked their way into both her arms, sending liquid life flowing back into her broken body.

"I've managed to locate the cable for the door lock," Garrus reported quickly, his eyes darting all over the maze-like interior of the power box. An intimidating number of plugs and sockets stared back at the former vigilante, rapidly eroding whatever confidence he had left in his pathetically-limited engineering ability. "I just need to find a socket for it!"

"JUST PULL ONE OUT AND PLUG IT IN!" Naomi bellowed from her position at the door, her concentration and strength faltering just as the insane doctor took a running start and rammed into it from the other side. The door shuddered and buckled inwards, throwing Naomi forward half a step. A second later, a bloodied hand shoved itself through the newly-formed gap between the double doors, grabbing a handful of her hair as the doctor cackled maniacally from outside.

"Join us in glorious convergence, Commander Shepard!" He laughed hysterically, yanking Naomi back by her red locks and slamming her against the door while she kicked, twisted and struggled, trying to break free from his iron-like grip.

"This isn't like having sex you know, I can't simply pull out and plug in whatever and wherever I want!" Garrus shouted exasperatedly, his voice strained and mandibles flaring. "And I have no idea which cable is for which system! If I pull out the wrong cable, I could shut off Miranda's life support by accident!"

"Now's not the time for your funny shit, Vakaria-aarrghh!" Naomi cried out as her attacker pulled at her hair with seemingly inhuman strength, making it feel as if the top of her head was being ripped off.

"Here's an idea. Why don't you just open the door and SHOOT HIM IN THE FACE!" Garrus exploded, desperately scanning the rows of cables for one which he could safely remove.

Damn it! He was Archangel, legendary vigilante of Omega, not Garrus the friendly neighborhood Engineer! Being able to Overload synthetics, shields and electrical systems were one thing, but hacking was something else entirely, requiring the specialised skills of a tech expert. Miranda was the closest thing their squad had to one, but unfortunately, the Cerberus Officer was currently incapacitated. Legion and Tali were on their merry way to repair the planet cracker, and Kasumi, that lucky little minx, was back on the Normandy probably helping herself to everyone's possessions.

"He's got a frigging flamethrower!" Naomi yelled. "Do you want to become a piece of barbecued chicken?"

Garrus' visor-covered eye twitched. "What the hell is a doctor even doing with a flamethrower?"

"IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT RIGHT NOW?! HURRY UP AND LOCK THE DAMN DOOR!"

He let out another frustrated sigh, his mandibles clicking in agitation, still unable to make heads or tails of the circuit system in front of him. There was no other way but to wing it and hope that he did not somehow activate something totally unwanted like the emergency decontamination protocols, which would subject them all to an untimely, fiery death.

"The door is a no-go, Naomi! I'm not going to risk it! Let me snipe him from here, I can head shot him through that gap in the door!"

All of their problems would have ended right there and then if he had been allowed to put a bullet into the madman's head, but no...Naomi just had to be the righteous hero that she was and refuse, all because...

"I'm not going to kill a civilian!"

Garrus groaned inwardly. 'I swear...one day, her idealism and kindness would be the death of her. Again.'

"Technically, I'm the one who is going to do the killing..." He deadpanned.

"GARRUS!"

"By the spirits, Naomi! That man is totally insane! Shoot him!" If his hands were not occupied and the situation not so dire, he would have done what the Humans called a face-palm and gone over to throttle some sense into her.

"Aarrgh!" Naomi cried out again as the doctor twisted his arm, sending a fresh wave of excruciating pain shooting through her head. "He's still a survivor! If we can get him to safety, we can try to snap him out of it!"

Garrus shook his head furiously. "He's beyond help and you know it!"

"THE TIME FOR CONVERGENCE IS NIGH!" The doctor screamed rather unhelpfully.

"Damn it!" Garrus shouted, finally losing his patience and flinging the cables against the power box in a burst of anger. "I'm not going to stand here screwing around with a door while some madman tears your head off! If you're not going to kill him, I will!"

"Don't do it!" Naomi shot back, thrashing with all her might. She reached up above her head and after much flailing about, managed to wrap both of her hands around the doctor's wist. She gave it a vicious twist, trying to force him to let go, but the doctor held on, seemingly oblivious to the pain she was causing him. "Garrus!"

Ignoring her pleas, Garrus reached behind him and unfolded his sniper rifle, bringing it up to his shoulder and taking aim through the scope in one fluid motion.

"Watch me," he growled, putting the doctor's head in his sights and curling his finger around the trigger.

"GARRUS, NO!"

Suddenly and without warning, an unearthly howl cut through the air, echoing through the deserted halls of the hospital. It was a raw, vicious and terrifying sound, completely inhuman and making their blood run cold. Garrus froze, still in his firing stance as he raised his head slowly to look out into the dark, bloody hallway. Naomi ceased her struggling and realized with mounting panic that the huge commotion they were making had probably attracted the unwanted attention of the mutant zombies skulking in the shadows. Even the doctor had fallen silent, stopped trying to force his way through the door and relinquished his hold on Naomi's red locks. Through the gap in the door, Garrus could see his head cocked to the side as though he was listening intently for something.

"The Children of the Flesh have returned!" The doctor suddenly spoke, breaking the ominous silence which had descended over the operation theater. "They have come to release us from our mortal forms! Behold, the harbingers of our ascension!"

Above the racket of his delirious ranting, Naomi could hear the unmistakable sound of running in the distance, the rhythmic pounding of feet against the hospital's tiled floors getting louder and louder, in tandem with her rapidly beating heart. The same frightening howl came again, this time much louder than before and making her jump. Without a doubt, the source of the sound was nearby and rapidly closing in on their position. She turned around to face the door, dread filling every corner of her mind as she looked past the doctor and into the hallway beyond. The dim, flickering lights overhead only lit the long corridor outside the operating theater for about fifty meters, before pitch darkness enveloped everything beyond, making it impossible to see any approaching threat.

Her unease was growing as she watched the black void, expecting to see a bloodied zombie charging out of it at any moment. Judging by the sound of the near-constant footfalls, it was likely that there was more than one headed their way. "Son of a bitch!" Naomi swore loudly, knowing that they would definitely be overwhelmed if an entire horde of those things descended upon them now. Quickly, she spun back to her stunned Turian squadmate and started issuing frantic orders, drawing her shotgun in the process. "Garrus, we have to seal this room NOW! I'm hearing a lot of movement out there, and this is the only defensible position we've got! I don't care what you shut off, we'll get swarmed if we don't get this door locked!"

"Already on it!" He didn't need to be told twice. Throwing his sniper rifle to the ground, Garrus turned his attention back to the power box, feverishly searching for the door's power cable in the mass of wires. Unfortunately for him, he had gotten everything entangled again after tossing all the cables back into the power box just a minute ago. Slamming a fist into the power box's cover and smashing it off its hinges, Garrus cursed himself, his luck, and fate for being such a bitch.

Naomi ignored the power box's cry of pain and raised her shotgun, pointing it at the doctor through the gap in the door. "Listen to me, doc! You will get torn apart if you stay out there! Put down your weapon and step inside, we will protect you!"

The doctor's only reply was a high-pitched giggle and she swore again. He slowly raised the military grade, M-451 Firestorm flamethrower in his left hand and aimed it directly at her, grinning like a child on Christmas day.

"Last chance, doc!" Naomi shouted urgently, silently begging for the man to regain control of his mind and listen to reason.

"Prepare for your ascension by holy fire!" The doctor's finger flew to his flamethrower's trigger and Naomi screamed in frustration as she fired her own weapon in self-defense. Her shotgun boomed once, blasting the doctor into the opposite wall in a massive shower of blood. He was dead before he even hit the floor, the crazed smile still on his face.

She shook her head, eyes squeezed shut in anguish, but she knew that there was nothing they could have done for him. Already the footsteps were disturbingly close, and yet another chilling howl reverberated around them, the loudest one yet. Not wanting to wait for the zombies to show themselves, Naomi swiftly grasped the operating theater's doors and flung them shut, backing up and leveling her shotgun at the doorway in preparation for an imminent attack.

"Garrus, there's no time like the present!" She called back over her shoulder, cocking her weapon.

"Here goes nothing!" He picked the most harmless-looking of all the wires and gave it a sharp tug, dislodging it from it's socket. Immediately there was a low hum and all the remaining lights were extinguished abruptly, throwing them into darkness.

Naomi's heart leapt into her throat as she became totally blind. She fumbled around in the suffocating darkness, trying to find the flashlight on her weapon. "Garrus! What the hell was that?"

"Hey, at least I gave you a fair bit of warning," Garrus muttered, managing to sound a little hurt. Naomi smiled a little and resisted the urge to roll her eyes upon hearing his voice; it was both welcome and comforting given their current situation. "And in my defense, how could I have known that cable was for the damn lights?" He was just as confused and disoriented as she was, cursing in his Turian language and stumbling around, searching for his dropped sniper rifle.

"Shit, never mind that now," Naomi hissed urgently, remembering that there was still a large group of mutant space zombies bearing down upon them. "Get your ass over here, we need to cover this entrance in case they-"

An ear-splitting screech from somewhere right beside her rattled her eardrums, making her scream in shock and nearly jump out of her skin. "HOLY SHIT!" Fueled by fear and adrenaline, Naomi whirled around faster than she had ever done before in her entire life and fired her shotgun, backing away as fast she could from her current position. Her M-11 Wraith discharged an armor-piercing blast of shrapnel with a bright flash, piercing through the darkness for a split-second. Thankfully but a little disturbingly, it did not reveal any hostiles in the room. When the smothering darkness returned as quickly as it had been banished, a frightening thought passed through her mind. What if there really was a zombie in the room with them and she had not been quick enough to spot it?

"Garrus? Shit, Garrus, talk to me!" Naomi called out urgently as her armored back crashed against the wall, the zombie's cry still ringing in her ears. "Did you see anything just now?"

"Calm down, there's nothing in here," Garrus said slowly, trying his best to keep his voice level and his nerves under control. The sudden screech had him scared and shaken as well. "Listen! I don't think there's anything outside either...strange..."

Naomi stood stock-still, holding her breath. Garrus was right, why was it so quiet all of sudden? Where was the big horde of attacking zombies? Judging by what she had been hearing for the past few minutes, they had been getting closer and closer, and the shriek that she had just heard sounded like it had come from somewhere in their immediate vicinity. Naomi frowned as she strained to pick out any sounds of movement, finding the silence extremely unnerving. The zombies could not have simply vanished into thin air, and she was sure that she had not been hallucinating this time round; Garrus had also heard their cries. The unwelcome thought of invisible mutant space zombies crossed through her mind and she shuddered, finally managing to find the switch for her weapon's flashlight. A similar click from the far side of the room meant that Garrus had also done the same.

Twin beams of light cut through the darkness like a knife, but even with the aid of their flashlights, the room was still incredibly, oppressively dark. Naomi took rapid, calming breaths, her grip on her weapon so tight that she was sure her knuckles were turning white. "Corners," she replied tersely, sweeping the thin beam of light around the room. Nodding, Garrus did the same, and both of them let out the breath that they were holding when they realized the room was indeed clear. They then shone their lights upon the operating table to check on Miranda's condition. Fortunately, the lights were the only things to go out, and all of the medical equipment was still functioning. Naomi gave the unconscious biotic a quick once-over, relieved that Miranda was still as they had left her.

"She's a sound sleeper," Garrus remarked with a chuckle. "Like you."

"Uh-huh."

That relief was short-lived, as the doors to the operating theater suddenly flew open with a loud bang.

"Contact!" Naomi yelled as she and Garrus spun to face the door. Their flashlights illuminated a humanoid figure with glowing green eyes standing in the doorway, and both of them wasted no time in pulling the triggers on their respective weapons. However, her eyes widened in surprise when their target reacted instantly to her shouting, throwing himself to the ground like a trained soldier and avoiding both of their shots. This was no mindless undead corpse!

"Hold your fire!" She quickly darted over to Garrus and slapped the barrel of his weapon upwards, making his next shot go wide and hit the ceiling with a metallic ping. "He's not a zombie!"

"Damn right I'm not!" The Human male on the floor said rather irritably as he slowly got back up. "Seriously, if I have to be shot at by another survivor one more-"

He stopped mid-sentence as he looked up and got a good look at Naomi's face, the green lights of the night vision visor on his helmet shining into her eyes. "Commander Shepard?" The man gaped, scrambling to his feet and saluting her "What the...I thought you were dead!"

Naomi raised a hand to shield her eyes from his visor's glow, smiling wryly. "Yeah, I get that a lot nowadays." She nodded at Garrus to lower his weapon and made her way over to the Alliance Marine, who still stood at attention with his salute. "At ease, soldier. Alliance Command hasn't reinstated me yet," Naomi grinned and offered the soldier a hand which he shook gratefully.

"I'm Sergeant Jackson of the 103rd Division, Special Forces. It's an honor to meet you, Commander." The soldier gushed, managing to appear awed even though his face was concealed by his helmet. "Gosh, the Hero of Elysium and Savior of the Citadel in the flesh!"

Garrus holstered his sniper rifle, looking amused. "I'm glad to see that your fan club still exists. It's too bad you didn't bring along a pen for autographs, eh Shepard?"

"Who's that?" Jackson asked, jerking his head at Garrus.

"Just some insignificant grunt serving under the magnificent, invincible Commander Shepard," he answered with a straight face, ignoring the withering look which Naomi sent his way.

"Anyway, Sergeant," Naomi said, shaking her head at her boyfriend's antics. "You mentioned that you're Special Forces? Where's the rest of your squad, and what exactly are you doing out here?"

Before Jackson could respond, the sound of running once again reached her ears, making Naomi tense up and raise her shotgun. But she relaxed when three more armored Alliance Marines came into view, all obviously part of Jackson's squad and sporting identical night vision visors.

"Sergeant! We heard gunshots and came as fast as we could!" The lone female member of the squad panted, doubled over, hands on her knees and trying to catch her breath. "Wait a second, is that Commander Shepard?"

"The one and only!" Jackson said proudly, eliciting impressed and excited comments from the rest of his team.

Naomi ran a hand through her hair, smiling sheepishly. "I don't mean to offend, but this 'wow, it's Commander Shepard!' thing is getting old. We're not exactly in a very safe place you know."

The four marines straightened and Jackson coughed apologetically. "Sorry, Commander. It's just amazing to see you here of all places, especially since the Alliance officially declared you dead two whole years ago."

She nodded in understanding. "Don't worry about it, Sergeant. I was asking you earlier about your mission here. Can I assume that you and your squad are here to evacuate the hospital?"

"You hit half the nail on the head, Commander. We originally came here together with the rest of our platoon to get all hospital staff, patients and other civilians to safety. But halfway through, our CO gave us new orders and sent the four of us Special Forces Marines to find and kill some criminal held in this hospital's asylum."

"Why go through all this trouble for one criminal?" Naomi asked, her interest piqued.

Jackson shrugged. "CO says he's some big terrorist who killed over a thousand people in some shipping disaster two years ago. The orders came from the Station Director himself actually, he's afraid that our target would take advantage of the current situation and escape in the chaos. According to him, this man's a danger to the entire galaxy. Even worse, he's clinically insane, so imagine what he would do if he managed to escape."

"A thousand people? That's a pretty high death toll..." Naomi said grimly. "I'm sure that the galaxy will be a better place without him. Have you managed to locate him? Could he already be on the run?"

"Negative, Commander. Our reports say that he's secured in a maximum security cell in the asylum. There's no way he can escape on his own, but we're being sent there to make sure that he doesn't even get the chance to try," Jackson explained, cocking his assault rifle for emphasis.

Naomi took a step forward, preparing to ask another question but Garrus interrupted her, stepping in between them and holding up his hand. She looked to him quizzically, feeling a little annoyed, but that feeling disappeared when she saw the serious expression on his scarred face. "Garrus, what's wrong?"

"Wait, hold that thought. Something doesn't add up," Garrus whispered, apprehension evident in his low voice. "I've been thinking...if those footsteps we heard earlier belonged to Jackson's squad, then what made all those howls and screams? Sergeant, did you or your men see anything out of the ordinary on your way here?"

Jackson shifted uncomfortably and Naomi froze as his words sank in. "Yeah, now that you mention it, all this doesn't feel right. If you're talking about the zombies we've been fighting all over the hospital, the answer is no. We haven't seen any of them on this floor." He paused and looked warily to both ends of the corridor which they were standing in before turning back to Garrus. "But we heard those loud howls you were talking about. They were originating from this location, so we got here as fast as we could. I'm guessing you guys didn't see any zombies either?"

Both Garrus and Naomi shook their heads and Jackson shrugged again. "I'm guessing it was just the sound travelling through all the vents in this place. Zombies on the other levels maybe? Still, it could have come from somewhere near here. I suggest we keep moving. Who knows when one of those ugly undead freaks will come flying out of the woodwork?"

He barely got to the end of his sentence before a blood-curdling scream filled the air and something exploded out of the ventilation shaft above him. It was the undead corpse of an Asari, horribly mutated and twisted beyond all recognition. Its face was no longer that of a gentle Asari, instead resembling that of some terrifying demon. It had a set of milky-white eyes and a gigantic maw filled with an unbelievable number of razor-sharp teeth, and all the skin on its face had mostly been flayed, revealing the muscle and bone of the skull. Its body was similarly warped; two long bladed appendages protruded out of its back and its two arms ended in bloody talons where the finger bones had elongated to insane lengths and sharpened to razor-sharp points, shredding through the skin on each hand. To complete its ghastly appearance, the rest of its body was clad in a bloodied nurses' uniform, with a long tear in the fabric exposing a large, gory wound on its abdomen.

The zombie plowed into Sergeant Jackson, knocking him to the floor and brutally stabbing him repeatedly in the torso with its extra bladed limbs, before swiping with its claws and decapitating him in one forceful strike.

As fresh red blood gushed out of the headless body, the shock of the sudden attack finally wore off and the three remaining members of Jackson's squad reacted by unleashing a concentrated barrage of gunfire at the attacking zombie. Naomi and Garrus joined in a split-second later, firing their shotgun and assault rifle respectively, but by then it was already too late to save Jackson.

Surrounded on all sides, the zombie should have been riddled with bullets and instantly shredded into pieces and killed, especially since it was still busy ripping into the dead Sergeant's corpse with its talons. However, what happened next shocked all of them to the core.

A blue biotic field erupted around the undead monster, absorbing the initial wave of incoming fire before shattering. By then, the zombie had already jumped off the corpse it was attacking with a terrifying howl, launching itself at the female Marine standing in front of it with incredible speed. The remaining bullets then slammed into the body of its first victim, completely missing their intended target.

The zombie moved so frighteningly fast that everyone was taken by surprise, allowing it to easily claim its next victim. It thrust all four of its lethal upper limbs into the body of the female Marine, effortlessly breaking through the combat armor that she wore and driving its bone blades deep into her body with a sickening crunch. A strangled scream was the only sound the soldier could make before the zombie roared, viciously slicing upwards with its bladed appendages, ripping her entire upper torso apart in a massive shower of gore. Intestines, lungs, pieces of ribs and other internal organs spilled out of the bisected body, blood spraying high into the air and painting the walls and floors red.

"Jesus Christ! Angela!" One of the Marines screamed in terror.

Naomi fought back the bile rising in her throat, focusing on rallying Garrus and the remaining Marines for a coordinated counter-attack. "Spread out and keep moving!" She hollered, swiftly aiming and firing her shotgun at the zombie's back as she moved away from Garrus. "Don't stay at the same spot for more than a second you hear me? Attack from different directions with everything you've got! OPEN FIRE!"

Her squad sprang into action, flanking the zombie on all sides and running a small circle around it, firing their weapons as it howled and screamed, flailing about as numerous bullets tore into its body. It continued to thrash and stagger about on its feet, disorientated and unable to pick its next target. A blast from Naomi's shotgun blew a huge hole in its chest, coating her with its dark, slick blood as pieces of flesh splattered everywhere. It howled and doubled over, crashing onto the floor as more bullets ripped into it.

"We've got it! We've got it!" One of the Marines yelled in triumph, charging forward while reloading his assault rifle. "This is for Jackson and Angela you piece of shit!"

Naomi's eyes widened in horror as she saw him break formation and rush the zombie. "STOP!" She screamed, throwing a hand out to warn him but it was already too late.

The downed zombie suddenly looked up at the approaching Marine, fixing him with a soul-chilling stare from its soulless white eyes before roaring and scrambling to its feet, charging straight for him while swinging its scythe-like arms. Unable to change direction, the Marine ran right into the zombie's wild swings, and was instantly slashed multiple times across the chest. The force of the blow sent the man flying into the opposite wall, a bloody mess of internal organs, flesh and torn armor scattering all over the ground.

"Fall back!" Naomi grabbed hold of the last Marine and shoved him behind her, reloading her shotgun. "Fall back, reload and get ready to fire on my command!"

They managed to retreat about twenty meters before the zombie turned away from its most recent victim and ran straight at them, howling like a banshee.

"Form a staggered firing line! Cover the entire corridor!" Naomi instructed, eyes trained on the rapidly approaching zombie. "I'll handle the middle, Garrus will be on the right, and you're taking the left!" She gave the Marine a reassuring slap on the back. "Get ready!"

"Yes, Commander!"

"Aye aye!"

When it crossed the ten-meter mark, they opened fire in unison, blanketing the entire breadth of the corridor with a hail of gunfire. Instead of having nowhere else to go and getting shredded by their combined arms, the zombie surprised them yet again with another insane display of speed and agility. Howling, it jumped onto one of the walls and then pushed off, landing on the opposite wall and then leaping off again, repeating this action to traverse the corridor toward them without ever landing on the ground and getting hit. It continued to bound from wall to wall, rapidly closing the distance and evading their attacks even as they switched tactics and started to aim at it. Whenever they pulled the triggers on their weapons, it would already be one step ahead of them, jumping off to a new section of the corridor.

"Fucking hell! What the fuck?!" The Marine yelled as another burst failed to nail the zombie.

"It's too fast!" Garrus shouted urgently, ejecting a spent thermal clip from his weapon and hurriedly slamming in a fresh one. Even with his expert marksmanship, he was no match for the zombie's speed and his next shot missed it as well.

The undead Asari was just two meters away when Naomi finally realized that their current tactic was not going to work.

"Shit! Break formation!"

Yelling, the three of them scattered in all directions. The zombie pushed off the last section of wall and flew straight for the Marine, tackling him to the ground. The Marine didn't even have time to cry out as a bone blade stabbed into his neck and bloody talons ripped his chest apart. The zombie continued to tear into the unfortunate soul, blood splashing around the twitching corpse as it dismembered and cut up the dead body with vicious efficiency.

"By the spirits...what the hell are we supposed to do now?"

Naomi grabbed hold of Garrus, pushing him in the direction of the operating theater. "Get inside! Move! We'll force it into a choke point! Give it less room to maneuver!"

With the zombie right on their tail and screaming for their blood, Naomi and Garrus skidded around the corner and threw themselves into the operating theater, the beams of light from their weapons swinging crazily around the darkened room as they took up firing positions.

"I'm guessing you have a plan?" Garrus shouted above the zombie's screaming as Naomi directed him to stand at the far end of the room. She nodded, crouching down near the doorway and staring the approaching zombie down the barrel of her shotgun as it charged straight for them, arms swinging wildly.

"Garrus! Ready your concussive shot!" She ordered, digging into her armor's special ammo compartment and retrieving a cryo Ammo attachment for her weapon. She slammed it into place and looked over her shoulder, watching as Garrus did as he was ordered, loading a high-explosive shell into the grenade launcher fitted below his assault rifle.

"Naomi, I really hope you know what you're doing!"

A predatory smile appeared on her face and she turned back to meet the approaching threat, cocking her shotgun.

"Come on, Garrus, I always do. Now, let's kill this thing! Activating adrenaline rush!" Raising her omnitool, Naomi input the command for her suit to inject her with a stimpack, wincing as she felt a prick at the back of her neck. As soon as it was injected, the powerful mix of synthetic adrenaline, endorphins, and psychotropic aggression enhancers sent power coursing through her system, setting her nerves on fire and reducing all the sounds around her to a dull throb. An orange film appeared over her vision as time seemed to dilate and slow, the zombie's movements slowing to a crawl, its limbs blurring as it continued its charge in slow-motion. Naomi aimed her cryo ammo enhanced shotgun squarely at the zombie's chest, finger resting on the trigger.

"I've got you now, you son of a bitch."

Under the effects of her adrenaline rush, there was no way that her greatly enhanced reflexes would allow her to miss her target. Letting out a battle cry, Naomi fired five rounds at the zombie, all of which streaked toward the unholy beast in slow motion and impacted against its upper torso. With immense satisfaction, she watched as each shotgun pellet, covered with super-cooled subatomic particles, slammed into the zombie's flesh, ripping bloody holes in its skin before snap freezing both of its arms, most of its chest and one of the bladed limbs growing out of its back.

"Concussive shot now!" Naomi yelled as the five-second effects of her Adrenaline Rush started to wear off, the warmth leaving her veins, sound returning to her ears, and her perception of time returning to normal.

"Firing!" She heard Garrus call out in a muted voice before everything abruptly returned to real-time. The zombie had taken a running jump directly at her before her rounds hit, and was now sailing through the air with almost half of its entire body encased in a layer of ice. It descended upon her, howling, before Garrus' high-explosive round smashed into its frozen torso with devastating results.

Most of the zombie's chest was blown away in a spectacular fashion, and all three of its frozen limbs were similarly shattered into icy shards. The shot failed to change its trajectory, however, and what remained of its body crashed on top of Naomi, knocking the wind out of her and sending her sprawling.

Unfortunately, it was still very much alive.

Roaring right in her face, the zombie viciously headbutted the stunned Commander repeatedly, cutting a gash on her forehead and breaking her nose with a sickening crack. Naomi fell limp, knocked senseless by its ruthless attack, her vision getting blurry and pain shooting through her head. She raised a hand in a feeble attempt to push the corpse off her but it simply headbutted her again, this time striking her directly on her broken nose. Naomi arched her back and howled in agony as blood spurted from her injuries, tasting blood as it ran down her face and into her mouth. From the corner of her darkening vision, she saw the zombie raise its remaining bladed arm in preparation for the killing blow.

"Gar...rus...help..." Naomi cried out, her voice weak and desperate.

The sharp, bony appendage started its descent toward her neck and Naomi squeezed her eyes shut, thinking it was the end.

Garrus was positioned at the far side of the room and as a result, he was ill-prepared for the zombie's continued attack. When he had finally started to move, shouting in fury and screaming Naomi's name, it had already bashed her in the face no less than eight times and was already slicing down with its remaining arm to decapitate her.

He was too late.

* * *

******Location: Residential District Tram Station, 1250 hrs**

**Charlie Squad**

Jack slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was a blurred jumble of debris in the foreground and fumes billowing somewhere at the back. She made to get up, a harsh cry coming to her lips as her right arm brushed against the wall. With a grimace, she looked down and immediately wished that she hadn't. A bone had snapped and was protruding through her lower arm, exposing the flesh beneath the torn skin. Subject Zero stared at the unnatural protrusion with morbid fascination before clenching her teeth and tenderly getting up.

"Ah...fuck..."

It hurt like a bitch.

"Mordin? Thane?" Jack called out as she stumbled through the wreckage of the tram. She could dimly make out gunfire and the unearthly cry of those monsters somewhere in the distance. She couldn't be sure however; her head was still spinning and there was a dull ringing in her ears. She felt disoriented.

"Jack?"

Jack felt a surge of relief. She never thought that she would feel this happy upon hearing the annoying, fast-talking Salarian scientists' voice.

Mordin emerged from the mangled metal shell of one of the carriages, limping towards Jack, his attire covered in what appeared to be some slick, greenish liquid.

"Is that blood, Mordin? What the hell happened…"

"Explosion was problematic," Mordin replied. "Was sent hurtling through air by blast, Salarian body structure not very aerodynamic." He paused, taking a deep breath which ended up sounding like a sniff. "Had less than ideal landing, on shrapnel and broken glass. Not to worry, mostly superficial injuries. Still, unable to complain, all hostiles caught in explosion and eliminated. Amazed at varying level of mutations on reanimated organisms so far, especially..."

The Salarian trailed away as he squinted at Jack's broken arm. "Skeletal injury, requires immediate medical attention. Shall I?"

"It's alright, Mordin, I ain't no pussy. This is just a flesh wound, I get these all the time." Jack felt a sting and grimaced again. "We need to get to Thane fast. That frog face might be in trouble."

"Pragmatic assessment," Mordin nodded, and headed out of the ruined tram. "Would also like to state observation that you are one tough cloaca."

Jack rolled her eyes but followed suit, her sidearm at the ready. "I'm no stranger to pain," she spat out. "I spent years being beaten, tortured and experimented on in Cerberus' labs, and I became pretty immune to it. When I get hurt, I just get angrier and pain kind of just fades into the back of my head."

Mordin blinked, his large eyes studying her intently as he thought about what she had just said. "Interesting. Anger used to override and ignore pain, very similar to Krogan blood rage! Would like to run tests."

"Try to run your tests on me, and I'll rip your other fucking horn off."

"Challenge accepted," Mordin replied cheerfully, bobbing his head. "Anything for science!"

Jack shook her head. "You're fucking crazy, you know that?"

They emerged into the relative brightness of the tram station, finding themselves surrounded by the stark reminders of the fierce battle which had taken place not too long ago. Bullet holes were riddled into every wall, and body parts, scraps of flesh and corpses lay scattered upon the blood soaked floor. Fires continued to burn, debris and other detritus littering the ground. And lying amongst several grisly dismembered bodies, was the last member of their squad, Thane the Drell Assassin.

But he was not alone. A man stood watch over him while another woman appeared to be applying medi-gel to a large stab wound on his thigh. Fortunately, that appeared to be the only injury he had sustained, and his life did not seem to be in any danger.

"Hey, frog face. You alright?" Jack asked once she and Mordin had joined up with them. "And if I may politely ask…"

She spun around to face the two strangers. "Who the hell are you two?"

"Peace, Jack." Thane said calmly, "I was just about to accept Kalahira's embrace when they dispatched my attackers and saved me. Perhaps if we introduced ourselves…"

The dark-skinned man had a neatly shaved haircut and was dressed in a plain white over-shirt with a hand-held communicator and flashlight attached to it. He appeared unarmed.

"My name's Franco. Franco Delille," the man announced. "And this lovely woman over here is my girlfriend." He gestured to the woman next to him, dressed in the armor of an Alliance Marine, a standard-issue M-8 Avenger assault rifle folded and clipped to her back.

"Thanks for the compliment, Franco. I'm Private Sarah Andarsyn of the 2nd Titan Station Alliance garrison," The woman stood up, brushing aside her copper hair. "That attack just now was brutal, and we would have died if not for your friend here taking on all those creatures by himself! It was incredible! I've never seen anyone, much less a Drell, fight like that before!" She smiled and gazed at Thane with admiration. "We also saw the two of you draw some of the creatures off into the tram and kill them all with some huge explosion! Just who are you people? The three of you are too...extraordinary to be civilians, so my guess is that you're a wandering group of mercenaries who got caught up in the attack?"

"Good guess, but still missing several, important details," Mordin answered as he accessed his omnitool and ran a scan over Thane's injuries, pleased that there was no nerve damage or fractures, and that the medi-gel had been timely and properly applied. "Not to worry, will explain. In the meantime, will treat my other colleague's injuries. Suggest that we all take this time to rest and recover."

Ten minutes later, the group of five were ready to go. Thane had regained most of his mobility, but was still unable to put much strain on his injured leg. He could walk, but running was impossible. Jack's broken bone had been fitted back into place, the torn flesh and skin stitched up and sealed by the talented Doctor Solus. However, her arm bone remained broken, thus hindering the full use of her biotic powers. To prevent further injury and accidental dislocation, Mordin fashioned a makeshift sling from torn clothing, salvaged from the remains of the corpses around them. Charlie Squad had taken quite a beating, but they were not out of it yet.

Mordin had also done a little explaining, wisely leaving out several sensitive details, such as their involvement with Cerberus. As far as Franco and Sarah were concerned, they were mercenaries led by Commander Shepard, who was currently on a secret Spectre mission to investigate the recent abduction of Human colonies by the Collectors. They had detected the communications failure on the station and decided to investigate, fearing an imminent attack by the Collectors. Upon landing, they quickly found the station in chaos and under attack by the undead. Mordin then related Shepard's evacuation plan to the two newest additions to their group, drawing an impressed look from Franco.

"So, not only is the famous Commander Shepard alive and well, but she is actually here to save us all?" He asked, amazement written all over his face. "And using a planet cracker as an evacuation transport? Now that is definitely something which only she can come up with! There's no doubt about it, this is the same woman who took down Saren and stopped the Geth attack two years ago!"

"What about the Alliance?" Sarah asked. "We're right in the middle of the Sol System for God's sake! Why haven't reinforcements and help arrived yet?"

"Likely that communications failure preventing broadcast of distress messages. Would expect Alliance to investigate eventually, but by then, afraid that it would be too late. Commander Shepard currently station's best hope!" Mordin remarked. "Enquiry, if I may. What were you doing prior to meeting us?"

"We were headed for the hospital," Franco replied. "I have some family there, and I need to make sure that they're alright."

"I was off duty when reports of violence and attacks by the undead creatures began to surface. When martial law was declared, I grabbed my gear and went to find Franco at his workplace. I learnt from him that his parents were warded at the hospital in intensive care, and that many of the creatures were seen nearby, so we rushed here as fast as possible, trying to catch a tram to the Transport Hub," Sarah explained, giving her boyfriend a sympathetic and concerned glance. "We barely reached this station before a large crowd stampeded through, sweeping us along. Turns out that they were being chased by a horde of those creatures. It was horrible, they were tearing everyone apart until you guys showed up."

Jack grinned. "Well, isn't today your lucky day? Shepard, big bird and the cheerleader are at the hospital right now, kicking zombie ass and taking names!"

"I'm guessing those are code names," Sarah laughed. "Did you hear that, Franco? Commander Shepard is at the hospital! Isn't that wonderful news?"

"Indeed. With Commander Shepard there, I am certain that your parents will be alright," Thane assured Franco, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Strangely, Franco appeared slightly discomforted when Jack informed him that Shepard would be in the hospital, but he recovered before his face could betray his thoughts. Thane noticed Franco's reaction and suspected that something was amiss. Franco, the seemingly average joe, was definitely withholding information from them. Nevertheless, the assassin said nothing. He would observe him quietly...for now.

"I...I still have to get to the hospital. I need to see, with my own eyes, if my parents are alright. Sorry, but we can't join your squad. I hope that you understand," Franco mumbled, shaking his head slowly.

"Franco, we should stick with them instead," Sarah insisted, looking surprised. "We've had plenty of brushes with death and we might not be so lucky the next time. There's a higher chance of surviving if we stick together! Have you not seen what those creatures are capable of? We need all the extra firepower we can get!"

"Sarah…baby, we agreed on this. We were going to 'stop for nothing', remember? It's not that I don't trust Commander Shepard's abilities. I'm just really concerned about my parents' safety, and I don't think that I'll be of much help to them by running around the Residential District with a bunch of mercenaries."

Mordin brought up his omnitool and tapped once. A burst of static filled the air and he frowned, speaking rapidly. "Communications failure still persisting. Nevertheless, will keep trying to contact Commander Shepard. Once connection established, will instruct her to look out for and personally ensure safety of Franco's parents. Until then, Sarah's analysis of situation accurate. Better chance of survival if you stay with us." A pause and a sniff. "Will help parents even less if you are dead. What say you?"

"We would greatly appreciate your help in searching for more survivors," Thane said gently. "There are many more lives at stake here. Now is not the time to be selfish."

"I agree," Sarah replied. "Franco?" She glanced at her partner.

It seemed that an internal debate was raging inside Franco as he pondered for a full minute. Finally he nodded his consent.

"That...sounds reasonable enough. Alright then, we're with you."

"Great! We're finally done talking! Let's move out, we're wasting time here!" Jack called over her shoulder as she strode for the exit.

Suddenly, the overhead lamps went out, one by one. Everything was soon eclipsed in pitch-black darkness, save for the meager light their flashlights provided. A shiver and a sense of foreboding passed through each and every person.

Jack sighed. Here they go again.

* * *

**Location: Titan Station Hospital, East Wing, Second Floor 1330 hrs**

**Alpha Squad**

He was too late.

But Miranda was not.

A blue biotic stasis field enveloped the zombie, immediately halting its movements. The bone blade stopped an inch away from Naomi's neck before Miranda followed up with her signature Biotic Slam, yanking the undead corpse upwards before slamming it down into the ground with bone-crushing force. The zombie literally broke apart, head, arm and legs flying in all directions as blood slattered messily around its gruesome body.

Garrus gaped at Miranda's timely rescue but then remembered his number one priority, sprinting over to Naomi's side. She was blinking blearily, eyes unfocused and groaning in pain, a hand on her ruined nose. Blood coated her glove and pooled around her head as she struggled to rise, wincing and collapsing back onto the ground as her strength gave out. Garrus dropped to his knees beside her, gently cradling her head in his hands and inspecting the damage.

"Naomi, are you alright? Can you hear me? Oh spirits..." It broke his heart to see her so beaten up and in pain, but then relief flooded through his body when he saw her brilliant green eyes lock on to his, a bloodied grin forming on her face.

"Heh...hey there, Garrus. We did it...We won..."

Garrus shook his head, clicking his mandibles and shushing her, brushing strands of blood-soaked red hair away from her face. "You almost died! And the first thing you say is 'hey'?"

A set of high heeled boots clicked into view, the woman wearing them cocking her hip to one side and resting a hand on her waist, smiling down at her.

"She can't die. It's not the suicide mission yet."

Naomi continued to grin, her eyes focusing on the newcomer. "Welcome back, Miranda."

**5 minutes later...**

Garrus helped to keep his Commander's head elevated while Miranda mopped away the blood, cleaned up her face and straightened her nose with a sharp, wince-inducing crack. An ice pack was promptly slapped over it, and a gloved hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her cry of pain as she kicked and squirmed. A tiny prick on her arm a second later sent painkillers flooding through her system and she sighed in relief, her body falling limp again.

"That should do it," Miranda reported, withdrawing her hand away from Naomi's mouth and tossing the used syringe over her shoulder. "Keep that on your pretty little nose for a few more minutes and you'll be fine. There will be a little bruising but hey, at least you'll look as ugly as your boyfriend over there."

Naomi scowled as she sat up, one hand on the ice pack to hold it in place as she glared at the Cerberus Officer. "You're evil. I should have disconnected you from the life support machine when I had the chance."

Miranda waved the threat away dismissively, her smile slowly fading away. "So, Commander. Care to fill me in on what had happened?"

"I'll send you a mission log of the last thirty minutes," Naomi tapped a command into her omnitool and lay back on Garrus' lap, readjusting the ice pack on her face. "Talking is a bitch right now."

* * *

**Alpha Squad Mission Log**

**1230 hrs to 1310 hrs**

**1230 hrs -** Executive Officer (XO) Miranda Lawson loses consciousness on approach to Titan Station Hospital. Gunnery Officer (GO) Garrus Vakarian identifies cause as rapidly decreasing blood pressure and onset of hypovolemic shock.

**1231 hrs - **Arrival at squad objective, Titan Station Hospital.

**1233 hrs - **Commanding Officer (CO) Naomi Shepard conducts reconnaissance of tram station. No hostiles, bodies or survivors found. Alpha Squad disembarks and proceeds into main hospital building. GO Garrus Vakarian is instructed to manually transport XO Miranda Lawson.

**1236 hrs - **Hospital's ground floor is found to be deserted. Evidence of large-scale attack found, but no hostiles, bodies or survivors. Substantial damage to hospital interior, small fires, dislodged wall and ceiling paneling, destroyed furniture.

**1237 hrs - **In light of XO Miranda Lawson's deteriorating condition, CO Naomi Shepard changes priority of squad mission from finding survivors to finding treatment for XO Miranda Lawson.

**1239 hrs - **GO Garrus Vakarian finds a directory for the hospital. Alpha Squad proceeds to East Wing, where operating theaters are located.

**1242 hrs - **Alpha Squad encounters no resistance upon entering East Wing. State of East Wing almost identical to hospital ground floor. No hostiles or survivors, but a few bodies are encountered. Inspection of a corpse reveals death by lacerations from sharp object.

**1245 hrs - **Alpha Squad boards elevator to East Wing, second floor. While in elevator, GO Garrus Vakarian remarks that XO Miranda Lawson needs to lose weight. CO Naomi Shepard reminds GO Garrus Vakarian to stop groping XO Miranda Lawson's rear.

**1248 hrs - **The second floor is found to be barricaded and sealed off by a survivor. CO Naomi Shepard speaks with the survivor, convinces him to grant Alpha Squad entry. Survivor identifies himself as Head Surgeon, Doctor Michael Enrique.

**1250 hrs - **Doctor Michael Enrique opens the operating theater for Alpha Squad to use. GO Garrus Vakarian assists the doctor as he begins treatment for XO Miranda Lawson. XO Miranda Lawson is given blood transfusions and connected to life support. CO Naomi Shepard finds several corpses lying around the second floor, all showing signs of extensive third-degree burns.

**1255 hrs -** CO Naomi Shepard questions Doctor Michael Enrique, who denies knowledge of the corpses. CO Naomi Shepard returns to the operating theater to oversee XO Miranda Lawson's treatment and recovery. Doctor Michael Enrique leaves to gather additional medical equipment.

**1300 hrs - **XO Miranda Lawson's condition improves drastically and stabilizes, but she remains unconscious.

**1308 hrs - **Doctor Michael Enrique returns with a M-451 Firestorm flamethrower weapon and runs toward the operating theater with clear hostile intent. CO Naomi Shepard tries unsuccessfully to get him to stand down. Doctor Michael Enrique apparently suffering from sudden complete mental breakdown, ignores vocal threat and single warning shot fired by CO Naomi Shepard.

* * *

"What happened to the doctor?"

"It's a long story, one which I have no intention of repeating. The short answer is over there," Naomi muttered, raising her finger and pointing to the dead doctor lying in a crumpled heap outside the operating theater.

Miranda raised an eyebrow and her mouth formed into a silent 'oh'.

"I'm guessing that the zombie attacked not long after?" She turned back to Naomi, who had removed the ice pack and was getting to her feet.

"We met up with some Alliance Marines before we got jumped. They're all dead now," Naomi said, looking downcast. Garrus put a firm supporting hand on her shoulder as she trudged out of the operating theater, beckoning for Miranda to follow. Her XO gasped as the devastation in the hallway outside greeted her.

Blue eyes widened in shock as they darted from one mauled corpse to another, taking in the obscene amount of blood which had been spilled. "Oh my God, Shepard. Just one zombie did all this?"

Naomi got down beside the body of Sergeant Jackson, snatching up his blood-stained dog tags. "Yeah. It looked like the one which attacked you on the tram but this one was insanely fast...some new kind of biotic zombie. It wiped them all out like it was nothing and I couldn't do anything to save them."

Garrus and Miranda winced as she slammed a fist into the blood-soaked ground, her shoulders slumping and head bowed in grief. "Damn it..."

"There wasn't much more that you could have done, Shepard," Garrus told her gently. "They're all dead now, but we can't dwell on that. We should get moving, try to locate more survivors and probably try to link up with the rest of their platoon."

Naomi sighed, putting a hand to her head. "I know, Garrus. It's just..."

A sudden burst of static from the deceased Sergeant's omnitool interrupted her, drawing all of their attention toward the glowing orange interface on the corpse' forearm. Miranda stooped down and inspected it, slipping it off the dead body and holding it aloft for all to see. "It looks like an incoming message," she observed, extending her hand and passing the device to Naomi.

"That's a little odd. Aren't all communications being jammed right now?" Garrus folded his arms, head cocked to the side in bewilderment.

"Only one way to find out," she said, hitting the command to accept the transmission. Immediately, their ears were treated to the jarring cacophony of an intense, chaotic and pitched battle. They heard the chatter of assault rifles, pounding of feet, heavy breathing and frantic, desperate screams. Incomprehensible orders were being shouted in the background, and they could also make out the chilling, unearthly shrieks and howls of the attacking zombies. A particularly high-pitched scream made all of them wince, before it was drowned out by the other sounds of the fight.

"What on Earth is going on out there?" Miranda asked out loud.

"Whatever and wherever it is, it doesn't sound good," Garrus remarked grimly.

Naomi prepared to speak through the omnitool's communicator, but the person on the other end beat her to it. "Sergeant Jackson! Come in, Sergeant Jackson!" The speaker was a Human male, voice gruff and authoritative. "Answer me, damn it!"

"Sergeant Jackson is dead," she said quickly. "He and his entire squad were attacked and killed by undead hostiles."

"What? Who is this? Identify yourself immediately!"

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy."

There was a short pause following her announcement, and she could well imagine the look of disbelief which must have formed on the speaker's face.

"Commander Shepard? What the hell are you-" A burst of gunfire cut him off, followed by someone shouting 'bolster that left flank! I need suppressive fire!'. The man on the other end came back on a second later, breathing hard and panic lacing his voice. "Okay, Shepard. I don't care what you're doing here, how you're even alive, or if you're even who you say you are. Right now, I need your help! I'm Captain Victor Bartlett, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Titan Station Alliance Garrison!"

Naomi leapt to her feet, bringing up her omnitool. "Send me your coordinates! My squad and I will-"

"No, Commander!" Captain Bartlett interjected urgently, the fierce battle still raging in the background. "I need you to complete Sergeant Jackson's mission! It is of the utmost importance, do you understand?"

"I know about the mission, sir! Jackson told me about it before he died. But why? Why do you want to kill this man so badly? I should be coming to help-"

"LISTEN TO ME!" Captain Bartlett roared so fiercely that she recoiled, holding the omnitool at an arms-length away from her. "I have no fucking time to explain this shit! Just do as I say, get to the asylum, find and kill a patient named Isaac Clarke! Make sure he's dead, you hear me?"

"Yes, sir!" Even though there were a million questions running through her mind, Naomi reigned in her curiosity, knowing that Captain Bartlett was truly in no time to explain anything to her right now.

"Good! As we speak, my platoon is making a run for the hospital's tram station with survivors in tow! Get the job done, and we'll rendezvous with you there! Captain-"

The transmission cut abruptly, plunging them back into silence. Attempts to re-establish the connection only produced more noisy static and Naomi gave up after her third try. "Well, that could have gone a lot better," she sighed, dropping the omnitool and looking to her squadmates. "Thoughts?"

"I say we go ahead with the Captain's plan. You know, see what the fuss is all about," Garrus suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. "I'm actually curious to find out why this 'Isaac Clarke' is so important." He looked to the dead corpses strewn about the corridor and added," and why their mission was worth dying for."

Miranda agreed. "Besides, the Captain did say he was escorting survivors out of the hospital, and to the tram station no less. The way I see it, he does our job for us while we help him with this assignment. Its a mutually beneficial partnership, Shepard. When we rendezvous with his forces, we'll use the tram to take everyone back to the Transport Hub and link up with the rest of our team. In other words..."

"It's perfect," Naomi finished for her, smiling brightly. She stood adopting a thinking posture, hand under her chin as she carefully considered what little information they had been given regarding their new mission. "Something seems off though. I mean, sure he's a dangerous criminal, but going out of their way to eliminate him right when a zombie outbreak occurs seems suspicious to me. I think there's something bigger at work here than just a mass-murdering terrorist, so I plan on asking questions first and shooting later. I'm not going to execute this guy until we get the full picture, alright?"

"Understood, Commander," Miranda gave her a curt nod. "But since our target is being held in an asylum, you shouldn't get your hopes up too high. We might not be able to get any answers from him at all, as there's no telling if his mental state has completely deteriorated to the point of pure insanity."

"It's your call," Garrus said simply.

Naomi nodded, checking all her weapons and watching her squadmates do the same.

"Alright guys, let's go find Isaac Clarke."

* * *

******Location: Somewhere above the Government Sector, 1300 hrs**

**Echo Squad**

"Safe..." she muttered, tilting her head to face the ceiling.

And just by uttering that simple word, Kasumi Goto jinxed herself. The elevator lurched and shuddered to a halt, the lights flickering on and off before going out completely, throwing her into darkness.

She cursed aloud and immediately went for her omnitool, establishing a link to the cockpit.

"Joker? Come in! Hurry up, you baka! This is important!"

The seconds passed in agonizing silence, and the suffocating darkness didn't make her experience in the stalled elevator any more pleasant.

Finally, the pilot's voice came through.

"Joker here! Is that you, Kasumi? Where are you?"

"Who else on this ship speaks Japanese? I'm trapped in the elevator! The power suddenly went out!"

"Yeah, I know!" There was a pause and Kasumi could hear the pilot's fingers flying over his console. "I'm losing power to some of the ship's systems! Something really weird is going on in the Engineering Deck, Gabbriella wouldn't screw around with the power flow like this! I've been trying to contact her but she's not responding, what the hell?"

"Joker, something is very wrong," Kasumi whispered hurriedly, getting to her feet and switching on the flashlight on her heavy pistol. "Do you remember the body that was in the escape pod? The one which we put it in a body bag and left in the hangar? Well, I was down below just now, and it's no longer there!"

"Holy shi-"

"And that's not all!" She continued, cutting him off. "I was just attacked by what was left of one of the technicians! I barely got away-"

"What do you mean by 'what was left'?"

"As in, he was already dead!" Kasumi felt her own skin crawl as she recounted the horrific appearance of the bloody, mutated corpse to Joker, who listened in stunned silence.

"Shit," Joker breathed. "Shit. And it's still in the hangar?"

"Yes. I couldn't kill it, only cripple it before I ran out of ammunition," Kasumi explained, now shining her flashlight at the elevator's ceiling, looking for a way out. "Joker, we have to issue a ship-wide alert. I have a very bad feeling that the missing dead body was responsible for killing that technician and turning him into that thing. I think it's roaming around the ship looking for more victims!"

Suddenly, there was a low hum and the Normandy shuddered. Kasumi pricked up her ears, finding it strange that she could no longer hear the dull throb of the Normandy's engines.

Worried, she once again contacted the cockpit for an explanation. "Joker, talk to me! What just happened?"

"Shit. Shit. Shit! Things just got a lot worse, Kasumi!" The pilot's panicked voice made the trepidation she was feeling even worse. "I just lost all power to the Normandy's propulsion systems! We're drifting into the path of some big ass asteroid, and EDI says our kinetic barriers are rapidly losing power as well!"

"Can't you divert power from other non-critical systems to the engines?"

"Negative! There's nothing non-critical left for me to divert! Except well, maybe the damn coffee machine..."

"JOKER!" Kasumi shouted so fiercely that she could practically feel the pilot's cringe through her omnitool's communications channel. "How much time do we have before the Normandy pulls a Titanic on one of those rocks?"

"Fifteen minutes!" Joker yelled, his fear palpable. "What the hell are Gabriella and Donnelly doing down there?"

* * *

**Normandy SR2 - Engineering Deck**

Engineer Gabriella Daniel's terrified screams echoed through the Engineering Deck before she was abruptly silenced by the heavy metal wrench smashing into her face.

She was knocked senseless by the blow, her nose and cheekbone broken instantly by the crushing impact. Her body fell limp, red rapidly filling her vision. Blood coated her attacker's face, hair and uniform as he swung the wrench down again and again, crushing her face into a bloody pulp. By the fourth swing, Gabriella was already dead, her face caved in and resembling nothing more than a sick, gory mess, her skull crushed and head split open by the savage blows she had received.

Engineer Kenneth Donnelly dropped the bloodied murder weapon, stepping away from his colleague's gruesome body as it slid off the console and fell to the ground with a wet thud. In a daze, he stumbled over to his own workstation, gripping both sides of the console tightly with his blood-coated hands before slamming his head down onto the metal surface with a loud crack. Kenneth slowly raised his head, returning to a standing position with blood running down from a gash on his forehead, still maintaining his death grip on the console.

He looked down, staring at the red smear on the console before leaning back, screaming as he brought his head down again. And again. And again. And again.

* * *

**Normandy SR2 - Combat Information ****Center**

The Normandy shuddered as small pieces of rock continued to strike its depleted shields.

"Kinetic barriers are at thirty percent, Mr. Moreau. We have four minutes until the Normandy impacts the asteroid. My analysis concludes that the ship will not be able to survive a collision with an object of that size," EDI's synthetic voice calmly informed him of their impending doom, its blue holographic interface popping up beside Joker's flight console.

The pilot was furiously hammering away at the controls, still trying desperately to reroute power from all over the ship and stop it from crashing into the giant chunk of rock in front of them. He was not going to lose another Normandy, and definitely not to something like a stupid rock!

However, despite his best efforts, the Normandy was still bleeding power and slowly but surely shutting down. For some reason, the people in engineering had sabotaged the power flows all over the ship, disabling the Normandy's four antiproton thrusters and other critical systems. It was both bizarre and frightening. With no word from the Normandy's engineers, and all his calls to the Engineering Deck going unanswered, Joker was completely in the dark and at a loss of what to do. As if all that wasn't enough, there was also a freaking mutant zombie stalking through the ship! As per Kasumi's suggestions, Joker had issued a ship-wide alert, getting all the combat-trained crew members to arm themselves and patrol the Combat Information Center and Crew Deck for the intruder, while all the non-combat personnel locked themselves inside the Crew Quarters.

"Dammit! There has to be another way!"

"We can still save the Normandy, Mr. Moreau," the AI replied, "Give me the ship."

The pilot stared at EDI as if she was insane. "What?! You're crazy!"

"Unlock my sealed data-bases and I can personally restore power to the Normandy's kinetic barriers and propulsion systems. The maintenance shaft in the science lab will allow passage to the AI core."

Joker shook his head in disbelief. If he let EDI play ball and if the AI ended up going more rogue than Saren Arterius, everyone on the ship would be at its mercy and probably get shot out of the airlocks or something. But then again, what choice did he have? As much as he hated to admit it, EDI was their best hope right now and if he didn't give her a chance to save the ship, everyone would be part of a nice stain on an asteroid.

"Alright, but if you start singing Daisy Bells I'm done!"

"Thank you, Mr. Moreau. However, I recommend caution when making your way through the Combat Information Centre. I am detecting movement within the elevator shaft," EDI replied, still sounding unnervingly calm about the entire situation.

"Aw shit shit shit shit!"

Joker pushed himself off his leather backed armchair and hobbled past the vacant rows of control terminals in the CIC. Four armed crew members were stationed around the galaxy map, watching all corners of the deck.

"Kasumi? It's Joker. I know this is crazy but...I'm giving EDI control of the Normandy. It's the only chance we've got at saving the ship. I'm heading down to the AI Core now."

The pilot could discern the fear and concern in Kasumi's voice. "Be careful, Joker. The Crew Deck is no longer safe. I just left my room and found all the combat personnel stationed outside dead. The zombie must have broken into the Crew Deck and killed them all. It's horrible...there's so much blood here...I'm going to check the Crew Quarters to see if the others are alright and meet you in the AI Core after that. Stay sharp, the zombie is still around and hiding somewhere."

"Shit. Okay, Kasumi, you be careful too."

As Joker limped his way to the Tech Lab, something smashed against the elevator door, denting it severely and making him freeze. Whatever was on the other side let loose a terrifying howl.

"We'll cover you, Joker! Go!" Crewman Hadley shouted as the other three members of the crew trained their guns at the mangled sheet of metal.

Jeff Moreau made his way past the Tech Lab doors. Upon passing the threshold, he could hear the sickening screech of metal being torn away and the staccato of gunfire. Someone began to scream in terror. Too terrified to look back, he hastily made his way over to the maintenance shaft, grasping the sides of the ladder and putting his foot on the top rung.

Well, here goes nothing.

* * *

**Normandy SR2 - Crew Deck**

Kasumi the Master Thief stood outside the Crew Quarters, glancing warily around as she waited for the lock to cycle open. She had escaped the elevator through the maintainence hatch on the ceiling, crawling her way through the elevator shaft and the vents between the Combat Information Centre and Crew Deck before popping out into her room in Port Observation. She then armed herself with her flashbang grenades, additional thermal clips, and her prized M-12 Locust sub-machine gun. Feeling confident, she had left the room, intending to meet up with the rest of the patrolling combat personnel and join them in the hunt for the missing zombie.

Instead, she had found nothing but death and silence on the Crew Deck. Blood was splattered all over the walls and floor, the slashed and brutally dismembered corpses of the crew scattered amongst overturned chairs and tables. Immediately, Kasumi's thoughts had turned to those non-combat personnel herded and locked inside the Crew Quarters. Judging by the intact door, the zombie had failed to get to those within, but when she pounded on the door and called out to its occupants, the lack of an audible response worried her.

Finally, the door slid open. Kasumi gasped in horror and recoiled when she saw all the corpses lying in a corner, their blood pooling together to cover almost half the room and filling the air with a sickening, metallic scent. She was even more disturbed upon noticing the innumerable bullet wounds on all of their bodies and the scorch marks in the walls. Someone, most likely wielding an assault rifle, had opened fire on every single crew member inside the room, slaughtering all of the defenceless men and women. Who could have done such a thing, and why?

Kasumi cried out as a sudden, powerful blow to the back of her head sent her reeling. She spun around, just in time to see and feel an assault rifle slamming against the side of her head, knocking her onto the ground.

Gasping in shock, pain and fear, Kasumi dragged herself forward, trying to crawl away from her attacker.

It was Yeoman Kelly Chambers.

"Hello there, Kasumi."

* * *

**Location: Titan Station Hospital, East Wing, Asylum 1340 hrs**

**Isaac Clarke**

"Isaac!"

Someone was calling his name. Quiet...he needed quiet...

"ISAAC!"

An abrupt, sharp stab of pain in his head jolted him awake. Isaac opened his eyes and was immediately assaulted with blinding light. He could see nothing else, blinking and squinting against the harsh brightness being directed at his face, turning his head this way and that in a futile attempt to escape the radiant rays of light, flinching as a disembodied male voice spoke to him.

"You were drifting away for a moment there, Mister Clarke."

Isaac ignored the voice. The light was hurting him. He wanted both the light and the voice to go away. Go away! Go away!

"I believe you were telling me about the nightmares that you've been having. About your dead girlfriend. What was her name?"

The voice was persistent, noisy, and unwelcome. Why wouldn't it go away? Maybe if he told the voice what it wanted to know, he would be left alone.

"Nicole," Isaac bit out with great difficulty, shutting his eyes as his head throbbed again.

A ghostly whisper made its way over to his ears, sending shivers running down his spine. Isaac tensed. Something about the new voice was so familiar, so hauntingly familiar and comforting at the same time.

_"I never wanted it to end like this, I really wanted to see you again. Just once. I loved you. I always loved you."_

The distinctively female voice began to fade. No! Stay! Stay! Isaac shook his head, trying desperately to listen, trying to will the female voice to return. Who did the voice belong to? He knew that person! He knew that he knew that person! Who was it? Was it Nicole? Yes! Yes! It was! It was Nicole's voice!

"Yes, Nicole Brennan. She was a Senior Medical Officer stationed aboard a planet cracker class vessel."

The male voice once again returned to plague him. No! He didn't want to hear it! He only wanted to hear Nicole's voice! Where was her voice? Where was Nicole? The voice said that she was on a ship? Wait, ship! He knew a ship!

"The Ishimura," Isaac muttered. It was the first name which had come to his mind. Why? Why did he think of that name? What did it mean to him?

"USG Ishimura, yes. Part of a mining operation on Aegis 7. I understand communications went down soon after their arrival. You were part of the repair mission. A mission for which you volunteered, am I right?"

Isaac grimaced as another wave of pain seared through his aching head. This time, however, it did not fade away after a few seconds. It instead increased steadily in intensity, making him cry out. Make it stop! Make it stop!

"What did you find aboard the ship, Isaac?"

It was the voice! It had to be the voice! The voice was causing him all this pain!

"They found something," Isaac hissed, gritting his teeth and squeezing his eyes shut against the terrible pounding in his head. The blinding light seared his closed eyelids, and he was starting to hear a new noise at the back of his mind. It consisted of the warbled, distorted voices of a hundred people, all chanting unintelligible things, laced with what sounded like loud static.

"What did you find aboard the ship, Isaac?"

Unsatisfied, the voice pressed him further. The pain, combined with the ever-increasing volume of the other voices, sent him over the edge. His head felt like it was being ripped apart! He couldn't think! Couldn't focus! Isaac groaned, and it took all of his willpower and strength to force out the next two words from between his clenched teeth.

"The Marker."

"Did you have contact with this Marker? It made you see things didn't it? Things you didn't want to see?"

A shadow passed over his closed eyes. Someone was standing in front of him, shielding him from the bright light. A set of cold, wet fingers placed themselves upon his face, tracing lazy circles around his eyelids. Blood! He could smell blood! Isaac breathed in sharply, keeping his eyes shut and trying to pull away, but the person's hands suddenly grabbed both sides of his head, holding it in place with surprising strength. A thumb slowly peeled back each of his eyelids, forcing him to come face to face with the horror which stood in front of him.

It was Nicole's corpse. Her pallid, blood-streaked face was inches away from his, and her empty, bloodied eye sockets glared into the depths of his soul. Isaac watched in horror, transfixed as his once-beautiful girlfriend opened her mouth to speak, blood dribbling and bubbling out of her torn lips. Nicole's lips were moving, but he couldn't make out the words that left them. The cacophony of voices and the static in his mind drowned it all out.

"It spoke to me," Isaac said numbly, shocked senseless by the ghastly sight in front of him. His tortured mind was no longer his own, his brain was no longer working. He just sat in a daze, forced to gaze upon his dead girlfriend's terrifying visage. His whole body was numb, he felt nothing, couldn't feel anything...

"What did it say to you, Isaac? What did it say?"

Nicole mouthed the words again, a dirty, orange light escaping from her eyes and mouth. This time, Isaac could hear her. He could hear every single word that she was saying in her cold, harsh voice.

_"Make. Us. Whole." _Nicole hissed at him, tilting her head slowly as she continued to glare at him, her eyes still glowing with their unholy light.

"Isaac!"

"Isaac, can you hear me? Isaac!"

Nicole leaned backwards before thrusting her face at him, screaming at the top of her lungs.

_"MAKE US WHOLE!"_

* * *

Isaac awoke with a start, gasping in shock. His eyes flew open, his heart hammering away in his chest as he was ejected from his cryogenic-stasis containment pod and violently returned to reality. Blinking furiously, it took him a few seconds to realize that he couldn't see a thing, that Nicole was no longer screaming at him, that it had all been a very disturbing nightmare, and that he was currently strapped to a cold metal table with his arms bound in front of him by some sort of device.

"What the fuck?"

Panicking, blind and confused, he immediately began to thrash and struggle, but froze when two hands grasped hold of his shoulders. Ghastly images of Nicole flashed through his mind, and he stiffened in reflex, squeezing his eyes shut again. As the seconds passed in silence, he felt his fear turn into anger. 'What am I doing? That was not real! I'm awake now, she's no longer there!' Isaac angrily told himself, extremely annoyed by his own paranoia. 'Get a grip, Isaac!' Taking a deep, shuddering breath to calm himself, Isaac tentatively asked the first question which came to his mind.

"Who...who are you?"

After a brief pause, a female voice answered him. It was gentle, yet firm and confident, with a hint of Canadian dialect.

"Isaac? I need you to calm down. Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you."

The hands let go of his shoulders and he allowed himself to relax. Whoever was standing in front of him now was probably not a threat. Her words were friendly, comforting, and sounded genuine. But a small voice at the back of his mind told him to be cautious and not to trust her completely just yet; He was in an extremely vulnerable state, blind and under heavy restraint.

"Hang on, I'm going to get you out of these restraints. Isaac? Are you still with me? Are you alright?" As the woman spoke, he was aware of more than one pair of hands getting to work at the straps which held him down to the table, slowly freeing his body from its uncomfortable confinement. So, the woman was not alone.

"I can't see..." He muttered as the last of the straps were removed and he was helped off the table by the woman's companions. He wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds as his feet touched the ground, his bound arms and blindness being a severe hindrance to his sense of balance.

"Garrus, hold him steady for a moment."

Someone, most likely this Garrus person, held on to him until he managed to find his balance and could stand on his own. At this point, Isaac straightened up, shrugging the person's hands off his shoulders.

"Touchy, isn't he?" The voice was male, low, and with a distinct flanging effect. Turian, Isaac concluded. Given its proximity, this was probably Garrus.

He flinched as another set of hands brushed against the back of his head, and reacted instinctively by twisting his body violently to the side and jerking his head away.

"Hey!" Isaac shouted in protest. "What do you think you're doing?"

A reassuring hand placed itself on his shoulder, and the woman spoke again. "Relax, Isaac. There's some kind of blindfold on you, that's why you can't see anything right now. We're removing it now, but I need you to stand still."

"If you say so," Isaac ground out, apprehension evident in his voice. He stilled himself and let the hands return to do their work, fumbling with some sort of catch at the back of his head. There was a click and a moment later, light flooded back into his eyes. He grimaced, stung by the sudden exposure to the glaring brightness of his surroundings, but wasted no time in lowering his head and blinking rapidly in an effort to restore his vision as soon as possible.

As his eyesight slowly returned, the first things he saw were his own two feet, clad in white hospital shoes. Then, as the dark shadows and blurry lines gradually faded away from the corners of his vision, he was able to see the matching white patient garb he was clad in, as well as the complicated-looking, metal and fabric straitjacket currently keeping his arms bound. He stared long and hard at his bizarre attire, many questions coming to mind. Hospital clothes? Straitjacket? What the hell was going on? And how did he even get here?

Isaac slowly looked up, finally able to get a good look at his 'rescuers'. There were three of them, two women and one male Turian, all well-armed with an impressive array of weapons and clad in military grade combat armor.

Garrus was the easiest to identify, being the only Turian in the entire group. His armor was typical of the sort worn by his species, and was colored mostly blue with black highlights. Isaac noted with interest, a curious symbol in the shape of a golden set of wings above his right gauntlet. Perhaps Garrus was some sort of Turian Commando? His armor sure looked the part. It was extremely pitted and battle-worn, with large scorch marks in some places and missing a large chunk of the collar. Furthermore, Garrus' facial features also fit his mind's mental picture of a veteran soldier who had seen plenty of action. He had several blue markings on his face which looked very much like war paint, and the right side of his face was heavily-scarred. A visor covered his left eye and a large sniper rifle adorned his back. Marksman, Isaac observed. The Turian must be the squad's long-range specialist and sharpshooter.

The woman in the middle was obviously the one in command. It was hard to describe, but she exuded some sort of aura which made her stand out from her two companions. It was an aura which gave him the impression that she was a leader, someone special and important. Isaac couldn't quite put a finger on it, but he was quite certain that he had seen her face somewhere before. A mop of short red hair framed her relatively attractive features and her warm green eyes gazed at him evenly as she offered him a small, friendly smile. Her armor was black, with a distinct white and red striped pattern running down the right arm. A letter and a number, 'N7', featured prominently on her armor's breastplate. It most likely had some military significance, but since he was just a civilian, Isaac had no idea what it meant. In any case, he was more interested in the sheer number of weapons strapped to her armor, finding it both unbelievable and impressive that the woman could be proficient in the use of so many different weapon types. He could see an assault rifle, sniper rifle, shotgun and heavy pistol, and something told him that they were not just for show. This woman looked like she was more than capable of handling herself in a fight, and could do a lot of damage if she wanted to. Isaac frowned as he studied the redhead, the sense of familiarity nagging at him and frustrating him. 'I know who she is! But I just can't remember! Why can't I remember anything?'

The last member of the squad was a strikingly beautiful woman with long, flowing raven hair. Her features were practically flawless and they took his breath away, but her eyes were a cold blue, devoid of warmth and emotion. Her luscious lips were unsmiling, and were instead set into a thin line, indicating her impatience. Everything about her facial expression expressed arrogance and contempt, and Isaac felt himself taking an immediate dislike toward her. Still, it took him some time to stop admiring her well-endowed and curvaceous body, clad in a ridiculous, figure-hugging white catsuit. Isaac raised an eyebrow at this. 'Seriously? You call that armor?' However, he could see that the woman definitely did not lack for offensive capability. A pistol and sub-machine gun were clipped to her slim waist, and as his eyes once again traveled up to the area around her chest, he saw a peculiar symbol in black and gold emblazoned on the suit near the edge of the plunging neckline. The symbol was also awfully familiar to him, but once again, his memory failed him.

When he was done observing the trio, Isaac turned his attention to his immediate surroundings. They were standing in some sort of high-security cell, lit by a strip of glaring lights overhead. The walls were a dull gray, possibly made of reinforced metal, with no windows of any kind in the cramped compartment. His cell was effectively an isolated metal cube, Isaac realized. Beside him lay a steel table which had a dizzying array of straps hanging off it. This was definitely what he had been secured to before the woman and her squad released him. It was fitted onto a set of tracks, which allowed it to be pushed back into a long, cylindrical cryogenic-stasis containment pod of some kind. Closer inspection revealed that there was a small screen on the pod's polished chrome surface, with his name clearly displayed on it. 'Patient Five, Isaac Clarke'. What did all this mean? Was he in some hospital? When and why was he admitted? Why was he under such restraints? And why, why couldn't he remember anything at all? He was confused, disoriented, angry, and damn it, he needed answers!

"Isaac? Isaac Clarke?"

His gaze lingered on the display for a little longer before he turned to face the speaker. It was the woman in the N7 armor.

"Look, I need you to tell me what's going on here," Isaac started, unable to keep the impatience and anger out of his voice. "Where am I? What am I doing here? And who the hell are you people?"

The woman in the catsuit sighed in annoyance. "You see, Commander? I knew that this would happen. He's just a babbling idiot! We should just-"

"Miranda!" The redhead cut her off, holding up a hand.

"I'm not a babbling idiot," Isaac glared at Miranda, incensed. "Listen, you geniuses. I just came out from stasis and my memory's in a mess. I can't even remember how I got here in the first place! So why don't all of you start talking, huh? Get me out of this straitjacket, and answer my FUCKING QUESTIONS!" He finished his sentence with a shout, all of his pent-up frustration and fury channeled into his last two words and sent echoing into the room beyond his cell.

He stopped to catch his breath after his outburst, glowering at each of them in turn. Miranda still appeared unmoved, crossing her arms with a huff and a slight upward tilt of her chin. Screw his previous dislike for Miranda, Isaac now knew that he didn't simply dislike her. He hated her. Garrus looked a little startled, his eyes widening and the plates on his fringe moving up a fraction of an inch. The N7-armored woman whom Miranda had referred to as 'Commander' ran a hand through her hair, sighing in resignation and offering him an apologetic look.

"Yeah...sorry about that," she grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I should have known that this would be pretty overwhelming for you. Believe me, I was in a similar situation myself not too long ago." At this, she turned to give Miranda a knowing smirk, one which the raven-haired woman returned. "I'm not sure if I have all the answers you need though, but I'll try to explain to the best of my ability. We actually have a few questions for you as well, so perhaps we can help each other. Just take it easy, alright?"

Isaac nodded slowly, feeling his anger subside. The woman spoke with confidence and sincerity, and her voice had a certain calming quality to it which made him inclined to trust her. On top of that, she had already promised to give him some much-needed answers.

"Anyway, let's get you out of that thing before we play twenty questions." The woman marched forward, whipping out a long combat knife from a holster built into her armor. He flinched instinctively when she stabbed it into the straitjacket, getting the disturbing impression that he was getting stabbed in the abdomen. However, he needn't have worried. The blade ignored his skin and got to work on the fabric, cutting and slicing through his remaining restraints with ease. Isaac shrugged off the heavy straitjacket, popping his neck and rolling his shoulders, massaging his wrists, flexing his arms and just getting used to his returning mobility, sighing in relief.

"Better?" The woman asked him with a smile, sheathing her combat knife while he stretched his aching joints.

"Thanks," Isaac mumbled, suddenly feeling an odd sensation on his left wrist when he rotated it. It felt like something cold and hard was digging into his skin, and he pulled back the long sleeves on his hospital clothes to get a better look at the culprit. It turned out to be a thin, metallic patient tracking band, featuring a tiny flashing green light next to an engraved symbol colored black and gold. As he stared intently at the symbol, he realized that it was exactly identical to the one on Miranda's uniform. Isaac froze, his heart pounding and eyes narrowing as he gradually put two and two together, head throbbing as several images, all pieces of his missing memories, flashed through his mind.

_He was restrained to a chair, being interrogated by a man dressed in a white suit, the black and gold symbol on his lapel. He struggled as two soldiers forced him onto the table, strapping him down, the black and gold symbol visible on their shoulder guards. He was being dragged through a featureless corridor, coming to a stop in front of a heavy, locked door, the black and gold symbol engraved on the polished metal. An extranet article featuring an image of the black and gold symbol. Cerberus. Terrorist organization._

Isaac blinked, shaking his head as the images faded away, alarm bells beginning to ring in his mind. 'What the hell? I've been captured and held prisoner by terrorists! When did this happen, and how? It doesn't matter, this Miranda is working for them! I knew there was something about her I didn't like!' He continued to think furiously, analyzing the current situation, but being careful to keep his facial expression neutral so as to avoid arousing their suspicions. 'Calm down, Isaac. They still don't know that you're on to them, just play along and look for an opening. But what do they want? They just released me from my cell and freed me from my bindings. What's their angle?'

He looked down as the redhead extended a hand toward him, intending to shake hands, the friendly smile still on her face. Isaac felt like sneering. 'They think that they're all so clever, they think that I'm an idiot who can't figure things out? They must have drugged me, made me forget things and screwed with my memories. Whatever it is, I think I'm starting to overcome it. They have let down their guard, this is my chance!'

Isaac took her hand in his, his whole body tensing in preparation for what he was about to do as the redhead introduced herself.

"I'm Commander Shepard of the Normandy," she said cheerily, shaking his hand and giving him a small nod. Isaac flinched, squeezing his eyes shut as he received yet another stab of pain through his head. The words she had spoken had triggered his brain to overcome a set of mental blocks, releasing an additional set of memory images into his mind's eye.

_Extranet vid. Commander Shepard's Spectre status presentation ceremony. Breaking Galactic news. Articles from the Alliance News Network. Commander Naomi Shepard, Humanity's first Spectre. Hero of Elysium. Savior of the Citadel. Commander Shepard and SSV Normandy lost in battle. Commander Shepard killed in action._

Isaac opened his eyes to see the redhead's concerned expression. She was saying something to him, he could see her lips moving but he wasn't listening. He tuned her out, quickly pouncing on the new information his mind had recovered, trying to see how it all fit into the current situation. 'Okay, I know who this woman is now! No wonder she looked so familiar, she's Commander Shepard! What the hell is she even doing here? Wait! No, that can't be right! Shepard was killed two years ago! That means this bitch is nothing but an imposter! What the hell is Cerberus trying to pull, using a 'hero' to gain my trust and cooperation? What for? Well, it's not going to work! I'm not going to fall for whatever they're telling me. They're all lies! Lies!'

"LIES!" Isaac yelled in fury, suddenly tightening his grip on the fake Commander Shepard's hand. While his enemies were shocked into momentary inaction, he attacked with a level of speed and strength that he didn't even know he possessed, yanking her forward with a surprised yelp. That yelp quickly turned into a cry of pain as he transferred his grip on her hand to her wrist, spinning her around and viciously twisting her arm behind her back, making her stagger and gasp. His other hand simultaneously snatched the heavy pistol clipped to her thigh, shoving the barrel against her temple and making his prisoner stiffen in his grasp.

Miranda and Garrus shouted in surprise, swiftly drawing their weapons in response to his hostage-taking. In retaliation, Isaac mercilessly increased the force he was exerting on the redhead's arm, twisting it even further to near-breaking point and making her writhe in agony.

"Don't. Shoot!" She gasped to her squadmates as he jabbed the gun against her head.

"You better listen to her," Isaac growled, maintaining the tight hold he had on his captive and the weapon, peering at the remaining two Cerberus soldiers over the top of their Commander's head. "Or she'll lose her head!"

They complied, not moving a muscle but still keeping their weapons trained on him. Not that they could have hit him anyway. Isaac was effectively shielded by the redhead's armored bulk, and the threat of him blowing a gaping hole into her head kept Miranda and Garrus at bay. He smirked, relishing the control and power that he was wielding now.

"Still think that I'm a babbling idiot?" He crowed, enjoying the furious expressions on their faces. "Nice try Miranda, your 'Commander Shepard' almost had me convinced. But I know the truth. I know that all of you work for Cerberus!"

The look of surprise which flitted across their features confirmed his suspicions.

"You two are going to drop your weapons and tell me what I want to know. Why have you captured me? Where am I? And what have you done to my memories? Start talking, and you better not be lying," Isaac threatened, curling a finger around the heavy pistol's trigger. He roughly shoved the gun against the woman's head, making her wince. "Well, I'm waiting!"

"Isaac, listen to me!" The redhead pleaded with him. "Take it easy. Just drop the gun and let me go, this is all just a misunderstanding. I already said that I can explain everything to you, please trust me!"

"Let her go, and I won't shoot you dead where you stand," Garrus warned him, his voice low and dangerous. The Turian re-adjusted his firing stance, aiming through his assault rifle's scope, ready to make good on his threat. Isaac ducked his head back down, shielding his head behind the redhead's.

"You're in way over your head you idiot! If you fire that gun, you die." Miranda's cold, mocking voice made its way into his ears, infuriating him, taunting him.

"Wrong answer," Isaac snarled and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Not the best first impression he could have given to our Mass Effect heroes, but hey, who can blame poor Isaac? Jack, Mordin and Thane have found Franco, but will his hidden agenda doom them all? The Normandy's crew has been devastated by the necromorphs, Marker-wrought insanity and the dangerous Unitologist fanatic, Kelly Chambers! Will Kasumi and Joker be able to save the ship and their own lives? In the next chapter, Samara, Grunt and Zaeed will run into a familiar female face from Dead Space 2, Jacob and Tali fight for their lives on the tram, and one of our heroes will meet his/her tragic end. Stay tuned, and keep those reviews, favs and follows coming! Until the next chapter then, Gibbering Gemstone, out!


	7. Rest in Pieces

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

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Hello once again, dear readers! Whoa, hold on there. Now, now, I know everyone is excited and I don't blame you guys (how long has it been?) but let me have my author's foreword first before you rip into this latest offering like bloodthirsty necromorphs (hur hur).

Firstly, thank you all so much for your continued support, regardless of whether it is just simple viewership, or through reviews, PMs, clicking that 'favorite' or 'follow' button. All of that means so much to me, and you have my thanks. I especially enjoy reading your PMs, whether it be asking about plot details, the lore of this crossover universe, or just random comments and suggestions about the direction of this story. Keep them coming!

Secondly, I would like to apologize for the absolutely brutal wait I have put you people through! This chapter took so long to write, as I was once again caught up in work, but also largely because I wrote and re-wrote certain parts multiple times, never finding one part satisfactory enough (I am a damn perfectionist). But, I am proud to say that the wait is finally over! This chapter stands at a staggering 23,000 words, and I can already hear your giggles of excitement. Its length could also probably explain why it took so long...

Regardless, this chapter was a blast to write, and I hope that all of you will have a blast reading it. Well, that's it for now! I'll see you guys at the end of the chapter!

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**Chapter 7: R**est in Pieces

**Location: Titan Station Dry Dock Tram, 1230 hrs**

**Bravo Squad - Jacob and Legion**

The caustic attack landed on Legion's entire left arm and shoulder, completely destroying the synthetic limb. Its arm simply melted away in a matter of seconds, acid eating away at it and causing the white hydraulic fluid running through the limb to boil and explode in a steaming mess. A portion of Shepard's N7 armor on Legion's chest was similarly affected, the metal sizzling and melting, holes appearing on the material. Having expended its vomit attack, the Turian zombie gave a guttural roar and threw Legion bodily across the carriage. The Geth Infiltrator crashed into the seats and slammed into the ground, the light that was its eye flickering rapidly as it lay on its back, unmoving.

"LEGION!" Jacob yelled, praying that it wasn't 'dead'. He was still levitating the first zombie up above their heads and could only watch helplessly as the Turian zombie brutally incapacitated the Geth. Now, faced with a quickly weakening biotic field, an incoming Turian vomit-zombie and an out-of-commission Geth squadmate, Jacob knew that he was in trouble.

And just when he thought that the current situation couldn't get any worse, it did.

Several more howls and screams were heard as the three remaining corpses shambled into view, all with extra bladed appendages and extensive, horrific mutations. He shuddered in revulsion at the legless and headless Asari zombie which was dragging itself forward on its clawed hands and slashing 'arms', scuttling forward like some demonic insect and trailing its wet and slimy intestines behind it.

"Shit..." Jacob felt like throwing up. All the blood and gore that he had seen, together with the horrifying appearance of the zombies, had shaken him to the core. It took all of his willpower and stomach muscles to keep it all together. Quickly, his soldier's mind went into overdrive, assessing the situation and trying to find a way out.

'Legion needs help, and Tali might be in danger as well. I am now facing down five zombies that don't die when shot. Since a broken neck didn't even seem to have any effect on one of those creepy bastards, headshots will probably be just as ineffective. And I think they are all about to attack.'

Well, shit.

With a howl, the Turian zombie advanced, shambling slowly toward him while dripping sick, corrosive fluid from the gaping orifice which used to be its mouth and neck. Jacob took an involuntary step back as it continued to squelch its way over to him, flesh rippling and exposed internal organs rolling and slapping against each other with thick, rubbery sounds, making him shiver in disgust. But the worst part about the undead creature was its face, frozen in a blank stare with black eyeless sockets and tilted at an unnatural angle thanks to the broken neck Legion had given it.

A series of frightening shrieks and cries echoed after it as the other zombies broke into a sprint, making a beeline straight for the carriage where Jacob was preparing to make his last stand.

"Holy shit!" Jacob's eyes widened at the charging undead horde, knowing that he had only a few seconds before they entered the carriage and ripped him into shreds. The frenzied zombies were forming a morbid conga line of death, screaming and shoving against each other as they fought to be the first to slam into him and...wait! Jacob glanced up at the zombie caught in his biotic pull and then back at the attacking horde, an idea forming in his head. Sure, they had the numerical advantage, but their attack was disorganized; they were just rushing at him mindlessly in single file, and he was going to take advantage of it. However, it was still a hell of a gamble, and he hoped that his biotics would be up to snuff.

"This had better work, Jacob. The Illusive Man isn't going to spend four billion credits to bring you back from the dead!" He grimaced and summoned up more of his biotic power, shrouding his body in blue flames and targeting the zombie in his biotic pull, subjecting it to a biotic throw.

The effect that the biotic throw had on his near-weightless target was spectacular, devastating, and even a little hilarious. The struggling zombie shot forward like a missile, slamming headfirst into the undead Turian corpse at breakneck speed.

Literally.

Upon impact, its neck snapped with a loud crack before its ugly head exploded into a bloody mess, bursting open like a ripe fruit. The Turian zombie on the other hand, was lifted off its feet by the incredible force of the collision and launched through the air, arms flailing. It was propelled into the mass of incoming undead, smashing into the Human corpse leading the charge and creating a domino effect, sending each zombie sprawling to the ground one after another.

"Hell yeah!" Jacob crowed, emboldened by his success. He darted forward and threw his hands out, releasing all of his remaining biotic energy outward in a crushing wave of bright blue energy, shouting loudly with the effort. The biotic shockwave roared down the length of the carriage, blowing out all of the windows and ripping out the overhead hand grips and grab poles as it went. The pile of zombies were picked up by the angry hurricane of biotic force and blasted back into the other carriage from which they were spawned, spinning and tumbling in the air, smashing into the walls, ceiling and floor like rag dolls. Jacob grinned with immense satisfaction as they crashed into the end of the tram, bones breaking and entire limbs snapping off with satisfying crunching noises, crumpling into a bloodied heap of tangled limbs and necrotic flesh.

The biotic soldier collapsed onto all fours, panting hard. The rapid use of his biotic powers in quick succession had taken a huge toll on his body, and the biotic implants in his head were practically on fire. His biotic abilities were nowhere near that of Miranda's or Samara's, and the single biotic shockwave he just performed had taken up a significant portion of his energy reserves. He wouldn't be able to use his biotics again any time soon. There was a rattling in his skull and he was starting to get a splitting headache, but he gritted his teeth against the pain, forcing himself up on his feet. As much as he wanted to sit back down on his ass and rest, he knew that he had to check if Tali was alright. The Quarian engineer was all alone, and there was no telling if there were zombies in the front section of the tram as well.

Still, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself. Against all odds, he had single-handedly dealt with five seemingly invulnerable zombies without even having to fire a shot. But why was he getting this feeling that it was all too good to be true?

A low, gurgling growl was the only warning that Jacob received before a stream of hot, steaming bile landed on the right side of his body, catching him completely by surprise. Pain! He immediately clutched his arm and collapsed onto the floor of the carriage, twitching and howling in agony. Jacob realized too late that the Turian zombie was still very much alive, its acidic vomit having burnt through his shields and suit in a matter of seconds and inflicted grievous second-degree burns to his skin. Trembling, he raised his injured limb to inspect the damage, cringing at the sight of angry red blisters forming among scraps of flaking skin, steam rising from the alien bile searing into his bare flesh. It was horrific to look at, but he knew that it was nothing when compared to what the zombie had managed to do to Legion...he was extremely lucky to have only received superficial injuries and not lost an entire limb to the dangerous undead Turian.

Hissing in pain and clenching his teeth so hard that his jaw hurt, Jacob scrambled to his feet and drew his shotgun, forcing his exhausted and battered body to move. His heart nearly stopped and his eyes widened in shock as he looked to the rear of the tram, seeing that all of the zombies which he thought his biotics had crushed were getting back on their feet and slowly staggering toward him, swinging their shattered limbs and slashing appendages. Even the headless corpses were somehow able to 'see' him, stalking forward with spasmodic, jerky movements. The Turian zombie was once again in the lead, fixing him with its soul-chilling stare as it shuffled forward, claws raised and moaning balefully.

Fear was a relatively foreign emotion to Jacob, but the ghastly pale horde shambling toward him was doing a damn good job of turning his blood to ice and sending his normally calm and organized mind spiraling into a state of blind panic. "Shit! SHIT!" He fired shot after shot from his weapon, the despair crashing into him like a wave as he watched the rounds clip the Turian zombie in the torso, shattering ribs and making its diseased organs explode in a shower of gore, but not even slowing its advance. It was hopeless! He had already thrown everything that he had at it, and it was still not enough! He was out of biotics, out of strength, and out of options. Seconds later, he ran out of ammunition as well.

His shotgun clicked empty and he staggered backwards, ejecting the spent thermal clip and trying to slam in a new one, cursing loudly as his injured hand gave way, sending the fresh clip tumbling out from his grasp and rolling across the floor. His whole body was going numb, the pain from his arm was killing him, and each breath was coming out in short, shuddering gasps. Jacob cried out as he tripped over the body of his Geth comrade, falling down beside it and biting back a scream as the raw flesh of his arm slammed into the carriage floor. Eyes watering and vision blurring, he struggled to raise his shotgun, aiming it with trembling hands at the Turian zombie framed by the doorway, not even caring that his weapon was unloaded. If this was the end for him and if he was going to die, he wanted to go down fighting, holding a weapon in his hand and defiant to the very end.

Jacob was about to resign himself to his fate, his life starting to flash before his eyes when he suddenly remembered the single grenade that was clipped to his suit's belt.

It was one of Zaeed's signature inferno grenades, given to him by the old bounty hunter himself after their mission to liberate an Eldfell-Ashland refinery from the Blue Suns mercenary group on Zorya. Hope flooded through him as he seized it, turning the spherical metal explosive over in his hand and pulling the ring out with his teeth, unable to use his other injured hand for the task.

The inferno grenades were extremely destructive, highly volatile ordnance filled with lethal incendiary munitions, and the closely-packed undead monsters made excellent targets. He highly doubted that the zombies would be able to survive an explosion at point-blank range, especially since they had already been heavily damaged by his earlier biotic attacks.

'This time, I'll blow these undead bastards up into tiny flaming pieces. Let's see them recover from that!' Jacob gripped the grenade tightly in his good hand, pulling back his arm and taking careful aim at the Turian corpse. He only had one shot at this, but he also had to act fast. The vomit-zombie was rearing back, the disturbing gurgling sound once again emanating from its throat, its sickly-yellow diseased lungs swelling and pulsating as it prepared to launch another acid attack. It already had one rotten foot in the carriage, and the rest of the undead horde was close behind, shambling and limping. It was now or never.

"Frag out!" He bellowed, lobbing the grenade high and far, watching as it sailed through the air in a parabolic arc and landed right inside the Turian zombie's exposed chest cavity, nestled in the space between its lungs and the fleshy gray mass which was supposed to be its guts. Jacob smirked. It couldn't have ended up in a better place.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

A series of red flashes and short, high-pitched sounds originating from within the Turian corpse quickly wiped the stupid grin off his face. 'Jacob, you dumbass!' He cursed, having been too distracted by his success to remember one of the most important and basic rules of using a grenade.

Take cover.

"Aw shit!" Jacob hit the deck and rolled underneath one of the seats, his mind barely registering the pain which shot up his arm whenever his exposed flesh came into contact with the floor. Right now, he could feel neither pain nor the icy cold grip of fear. There was only pure, raw adrenaline infusing him with its invigorating warmth and sending a burst of strength coursing through his body.

With a grunt, he came to a complete stop within his makeshift defilade and hunkered down, getting ready for the magnificent explosion which was to come. Meanwhile, the other zombies were piling up behind the Turian corpse, howling as they tried to barge their way past its bulk. The vomit-zombie had stopped in its tracks, blocking the way forward into the carriage and clawing at its entrails in an attempt to dislodge the inferno grenade which was about to go off. The beeping turned into a constant whine and Jacob felt all the muscles in his entire body tense. Any time now...

The Turian zombie slowly looked up and stared directly at Jacob, ceasing its struggles and fixing him with a hateful glare which lasted for about a second before the inferno grenade exploded. A giant fireball blossomed out of its chest, ripping through its body and those of the undead horde clustered behind it, the force of the detonation blowing them utterly apart and sending chunks of singed flesh splattering all over the carriage. Sections of the floor and ceiling were set alight by the blast, and some of the paneling lining the walls of the carriage had come loose, sending jagged metal spinning dangerously in all directions. Jacob kept his head down as bits of metal and flesh, all on fire, ricocheted dangerously around him, wincing as a searing wave of intense heat from the explosion washed over his prone form.

It was a visual and auditory spectacle, and no words could even come close to describe it.

A sigh of relief escaped from his lips. Finally, it was all over! Or was it? The screeching and groaning of twisting metal, together with the tram's sudden, wild shuddering made him whip his head up in surprise. "Holy shit!" Jacob exclaimed for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, watching from underneath the seat, mouth agape, as the last carriage tore itself free from the rest of the tram in a massive shower of sparks. It fell away, tilting off the tracks and smashing into the tunnel walls, flipping over and over and exploding into a ball of fire so impressively massive that it would have made Jack squeal like a little girl and wet herself. Apparently, the force of the exploding inferno grenade had severed the couplings between the two carriages, leading to the last carriage's catastrophic derailment.

When the ringing in his ears had subsided, Jacob groaned and crawled out of his cover. Gingerly, he dusted himself off and shook his head at the carnage Zaeed's grenade had wrought. Small fires were still burning around the carriage, and between the smashed windows and mangled sheets of metal strewn all about, it looked like several Krogan, high on ryncol, just had a sweet rave party inside it. "Zaeed, you crazy old bastard. That wasn't a grenade. It was a freaking bomb..." He muttered, trudging over to where Legion lay in a pool of its own hydraulic fluid, still silent and non-responsive.

Despite his initial hostility and antagonism toward the Geth Infiltrator, Jacob had gradually warmed up to the quirky machine and its many hilarious attempts to comprehend organic behavior. Any ill will that he held toward Legion had evaporated after Shepard discovered that the Geth attacking Eden Prime were a rogue faction called the Heretics, and that Legion's Geth had absolutely no affiliation with them whatsoever and were actually apathetic toward organics. Now, Jacob looked down at the fallen synthetic with a mixture of worry and concern. Shaking its shoulder and calling out to it failed to elicit any form of response, and he found himself hoping that Legion was still 'alive' and had just shut down key motor processes to begin self-repairs, something akin to a computer entering safe mode.

A sharp, female scream suddenly cut through the air. Jacob jerked, whipping his head about in shock, fresh panic setting in. There was only one other woman on the tram who could have made that cry of terror.

"Tali!"

* * *

**Bravo Squad - Tali**

Unfortunately for her, the howling wind inside the tunnel drowned out the sound of footsteps behind her.

Tali was idly tapping the controls on the console, viewing information about the tram's speed and hardware when a humanoid shadow loomed over the console. Immediately her heart leapt into her throat, her entire body tensing as all of her suppressed fears returned in full force. Still trying her best to hold back the scream building up in her throat, Tali slowly turned around in her seat, hoping and praying that it was just her teammate. "Jacob?" She asked timidly, her hand inching toward the shotgun on her back and finally coming face to face with the horror which had entered the driver's compartment.

She finally screamed as the undead creature right in front of her let loose a terrifying howl and attacked.

The Human corpse lunged forward with frightening speed and grabbed the Quarian Engineer around the neck with bloodied hands, screaming and snapping at her helmet's visor with a mouth filled with yellowed, elongated teeth. Flecks of blood and saliva splattered messily onto her visor, she could see scraps of flesh hanging from its jaws, could smell the overpowering stench of carrion on its breath, and could hear its unholy shrieks blowing out her eardrums. Tali's scream was cut off together with her air supply, the zombie's vice-like grip painfully crushing her neck as she struggled, hands clawing desperately at its decaying limbs. She choked and gagged, her hands slipping from the Human corpse. Her strength was failing and her lungs were beginning to burn, dark spots and tendrils creeping into the corners of her vision.

'I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Keelah!' Tali screamed in her mind, seeing two grotesque, blade-like limbs erupt from the zombie's shoulders in a gory spray of red. The extra 'arms' were fleshy and raw, a horrific product of twisted and mutated tissue and bone. They were swaying in the air like snakes, rearing back and preparing to stab themselves into her head. Tali renewed her wild flailing, now using her legs to lash out at the zombie's torso, fighting tooth and nail to throw her assailant off, even as she was starting to feel herself slip into unconsciousness. 'I don't want to die! Please! Jacob! Legion! Help me!'

Her frantic prayers went unanswered. She was trapped and all alone. Through the haze clouding her vision, she could see one of the slashing limbs being thrust at her. Instinctively, Tali jerked her head to the side, as far as it could go, and felt her heart stop for a few seconds as the razor-sharp appendage crashed into the seat's headrest, inches away from her face. Barely after it occurred to her that she had just escaped decapitation, the zombie roared in fury and slashed at her with its other bone blade, once again aiming for her head. Tali screamed, a frightened whimper and squeak escaping from her crushed throat. With no other way out, with no room to maneuver, and in a moment of desperation, she reached up and did the only thing that she could to protect herself.

She caught the bone blade with her hands.

Tali gasped as it cut into her palms, slicing through her suit and skin. Despite the agonizing pain setting her hands on fire, the Quarian bravely wrapped them tightly around the blade, mustering up all of her remaining strength to keep the trembling and twitching limb from progressing any further toward her helmet's visor, coating the bone with her slick blood. The blade stopped just inches away from her face, but it was creeping forward, getting nearer and nearer by the second. Her arms were starting to shake and give way, her grip was slowly weakening, and the undead monster was both relentless and tireless. It howled in her face and continued to press the attack, viciously pulling back its slashing appendage and cutting a set of deep lines into her hands as the bone blade slipped through her grasp. Tali shrieked in agony, watching her blood splatter all over her front and lap. Her hands fell to her sides, limp and useless. Her body, wracked with pain, shut down and slumped in defeat. The blade swung downwards and she squeezed her eyes shut, screaming in terror as she waited for it to end her life.

And then, a miracle. Jacob arrived at that very moment, barging into the driver's compartment with Legion in tow, its one remaining arm draped over his uninjured shoulder. A quick glance at the scene unfolding within told him that Tali was just seconds away from a terrible, gory end. If he had been any slower, it would have been too late. "Hey ugly!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, making the mutated monstrosity flinch and halt its death-dealing strike. Swiftly, Jacob swung Legion's body around and flung it at the zombie, striking it with almost a hundred kilograms of solid Geth.

The blow failed to knock it to the ground, but it succeeded in ripping one of the blades clean off its shoulders and send it staggering into the opposite wall. Upon impact, the zombie also released its grip on Tali, who slid off the chair and tumbled onto the floor. With a loud battle cry which also contained a few colorful curse words, Jacob rushed in, guns blazing. He pulled the trigger as quickly and as many times as his sole remaining thermal clip would allow, firing his shotgun repeatedly at the disorientated zombie as he continued to advance toward it. Its chest was blown apart in a gory fashion, the upper half of its torso flying apart as multiple shotgun pellets shredded into it, splashing its blood onto the wall and creating a macabre mural. Getting into melee range, Jacob then used his shotgun to bludgeon the thing's head repeatedly, angrily pulverizing the undead corpse into oblivion with judicious use of brutal force.

When it finally ceased its movements, dropping lifelessly in a bloody mass of pale, necrotic flesh, Jacob stepped away and dropped his blood-coated shotgun, scrambling over to where Tali lay, shivering and moaning in pain.

"Tali! Oh my God, Tali!" He gingerly propped her up against the tram's main control console and gently lifted up her bloodied hands to inspect them, recoiling at the terrible lacerations on her fingers and palms. "Are you alright?"

Tali whimpered as she inspected her own injuries, gasping as she tried to move her fingers. The zombie had slashed her severely and she had lost some blood, but fortunately for her, it wasn't anything life-threatening. However, the tears in her suit were exposing her to the dangerous elements of the outside environment and she didn't need to look at the warning messages flashing inside her visor to know that she had been infected by the countless bacteria on the undead corpse's blades. Right now, her suit was doing all it could, administering generous doses of antibiotics and sealing off the damaged sections, but she knew that it was only a temporary solution. "It h-hurts so m-much..." She coughed, wincing as she spoke. Her throat was incredibly raw and she was feeling light-headed from both pain and blood-loss. Tali's head drooped, alarming Jacob who placed a hand on her shoulder, frantically shaking his Quarian squadmate.

"Tali! Listen, you have to stay awake! I've got some medi-gel! Just hold on," Jacob whispered urgently, feverishly tearing apart the packet containing the life-saving gel. He was preparing to apply it to her hands when she unexpectedly pulled them away from him. "What's wrong?" He looked to her questioningly.

"N-no. Jacob, that...thing breached my suit. I-I need to decontaminate and...and clean my wounds. I-I got infected...there's bacteria in-inside..."

Jacob cursed under his breath. He had forgotten about the weak immune system of the Quarians, and the nature of their suits. If Tali did not find a sterile room to dress her wounds and repair her suit soon, the bacteria flooding through her body could potentially kill her.

"I understand, Tali. No worries, we'll look around when we get to the Dry Docks. I'm sure that we can find a safe place for you to patch yourself up," Jacob reassured her. "Here, give me your hands. I'm going to apply the medi-gel and bandage them up for you. It'll help your blood to clot and stop the bleeding, as well as protecting you from any further infections."

Tali nodded slowly, allowing Jacob to take her dainty three-fingered hands in his large, five-fingered ones. She winced as the medi-gel stung her wounds, biting her lip and stifling her hisses of pain while he rubbed the medical solution into the gashes on her palms. At the same time, Jacob kept talking to her, trying to keep her from falling unconscious.

"I've got to say, that was one hell of a brave thing you did back there, fighting off that zombie with your bare hands. If only Grunt could have seen you wrestle with that thing, it would have made him so jealous!"

Tali let out a small, trilling laugh and looked up at Jacob who gave her a wide grin in return.

"There, all done!" He proclaimed brightly, watching as Tali inspected her expertly-bandaged hands. The Human biotic really knew his first-aid, no doubt from his days in the Alliance military; the white fabric was wrapped comfortably around her hands like a glove, gripping firmly but not too tightly. Jacob placed a firm comforting hand on Tali's shoulder when he saw her gaze linger on the fresh blood splattered all over her suit. "Come on, Tali. Don't worry about that. You're going to be just fine. Now, is there anything else that I can do for you?"

"Thank you, Jacob. I'm feeling so much better already," Tali murmured gratefully, giving him a small nod. "Although...I don't suppose you can transform yourself into a shuttle and fly me back home to the Migrant Fleet?"

Jacob chuckled, shaking his head. That sounded like something a certain red-haired Commander would have said. "I have some analgesic shots in my first-aid kit. They will help to alleviate some of the pain, at least until we reach the tram station. Also, for the record, I think you're spending way too much time around Shepard."

Despite her harrowing near-death experience barely a minute ago, Tali still managed to giggle, looking him in the eye and waving a hand dismissively.

"You just threw Legion at that zombie, you Bosh'tet!"

"Hey now. In my defense, pun intended, Legion was quite an effective weapon." Jacob grinned and handed her an injector containing the painkillers.

Tali rolled her eyes behind her mask, letting out a soft sigh as she jabbed the needle into her thigh. She gently set her hands down on her lap and rested the back of her head against the cool metal of the console while waiting for the drugs to take effect. "Riiiiiight," Tali dragged out the word, shivering slightly as the painkillers worked their way through her bloodstream, making her feel as though ice water was running through her veins. "Once my head stops spinning, I'm going to design a gun that fires Geth. It will be a superb addition to your armory, Jacob."

"Thanks, Tali. I can't wait to shoot some Geth _at_ some Geth."

Tali shook her head slowly, smiling to herself. "You know...Legion is being surprisingly quiet about this. Seriously, Legion? No comments about a weapon which uses Geth as ammunition? Or maybe it's because that metal Bosh'tet knows I was just joking..."

"Err, Tali?" Jacob frowned, directing the young Quarian's attention to where Legion's shattered body had fallen. "There's something that you should know. Legion is-"

Behind the purple screen of her visor, Tali's two bright eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, Keelah..."

* * *

**Location: Titan Station Commercial District, CEC Headquarters, 1250 hrs**

**Delta Squad**

"Hold up! Give me a minute...goddamn stairs," Zaeed cursed, doubling over with his hands on his knees. The veteran deepened the ever-present scowl on his face, grumbling something about 'being too old for this shit' and pausing to spit on the ground.

Grunt was several steps above him, and he looked down at the ageing bounty hunter with contempt.

"Pick up your pace, old man. Or I will put you down like the sick Varren you are," the Krogan super soldier growled, baring his gigantic teeth. "I will not allow you to slow us down, especially with those creatures stalking us. Heh, maybe you should stay behind and feed them, instead of sitting down on your ass and complaining."

Zaeed was unfazed by the threat and drew his assault rifle, shouldering and aiming it at Grunt in the blink of an eye. "Ahh go fuck yourself, ya big lizard!"

In response, Grunt grabbed and readied his massive M-300 Claymore shotgun, putting Zaeed's head in his sights. The two squadmates stared each other down the length of their respective weapons, fingers itching on their triggers, neither party willing to back down and both daring their opponent to make the first move.

A brilliant flash of blue made them cease any further hostilities. It was Samara. The third member of Delta Squad floated between them, suspended a foot off the ground and wreathed in sapphire flames. The thousand-year old Asari Justicar wore an intimidating expression on her normally serene face, her eyes ablaze with the blue radiance of her biotic powers.

"Enough of this," she snapped, stepping between the arguing Human and Krogan. "We are a team, and such behavior is undesirable and destructive. Do I need to remind you that our current mission is one of great importance and urgency? The blood of countless innocents are being shed while we degenerate into senseless bickering about trivial matters."

A few tense seconds passed in silence. Neither Zaeed nor Grunt spoke, continuing to glare daggers at each other while the sounds of gunfire and screams rang out in the distance. Samara frowned and clenched her fists, making a wave biotic energy radiate dangerously outward, immediately getting the attention of the combatants in front of her. "I am left with no choice then. The Justicar Code is very clear on what I must do when faced by individuals who hinder my mission."

"Alright! Alright!" Zaeed said quickly, stowing his weapon away and redirecting his scowl at Samara. "Jesus, woman. I was only trying to scare him..."

Grunt simply grunted and turned his back on his squadmates, stomping wordlessly up the stairs while holstering his shotgun. Satisfied with her resolution of the conflict, Samara's biotics faded away and she turned to follow, striding elegantly after the giant Krogan. No one saw the small smirk which tugged at the corner of her mouth when she thought about how quickly her squadmates had stood down at the mere mention of the Justicar Code. Her status as a ruthless enforcer of justice who destroyed any unfortunate soul in her way definitely had its perks.

Zaeed let out a frustrated sigh, popping his neck and gazing up at the long and daunting flight of steps which lay before him. They ended at the foot of a large building, a monstrous skyscraper of glass and metal which easily towered over the surrounding skyline like a shimmering needle. It was mounted on a massive pyramid-like base, which had a series of wide steps cut into all four sides, providing access to the structure for those on foot. The large logo of the Concordance and Extraction Company was prominently displayed on its exterior, the brilliant red and white luminescence appearing almost out of place among the drab-gray of the surrounding buildings.

He popped the final joint and rolled his shoulders, exhaling loudly. "Goddamn stairs..."

* * *

**Delta Squad Mission Log**

**1210 hrs to 1250 hrs**

**1215 hrs - **Delta Squad arrives at squad objective, Titan Station Commercial District, without incident.

**1218 hrs - **Delta Squad performs reconnaissance of the Commercial District Tram Station. The station is discovered to be abandoned and running on emergency power. The squad finds evidence suggesting that Alliance troops were using it as a evacuation center before they were overrun. No hostiles or survivors encountered. Many bodies found dismembered and mutilated, mostly Alliance personnel.

**1219 hrs - **Zaeed finds an audio log on one of the Alliance soldiers. The legless Marine had recorded a message moments before he succumbed to his fatal injuries. From it, Delta Squad learns that hours after the declaration of martial law, Station Director Hans Tiedemann initiated a full-scale evacuation of the station. Station Director Tiedemann mobilized every Alliance soldier for the rescue operation, including Captain Victor Bartlett, Commanding Officer (CO) of the 2nd Titan Station Alliance Garrison. The Alliance troops were split up into several platoons and dispatched to the different districts of Titan Station. They were ordered to spare no effort to find and escort all those who were still alive back to the Government Sector for evacuation by shuttle.

However, the soldiers were betrayed the moment the last platoon left the walls of the Government Sector. Without any warning or explanation, the Government Sector was locked down, and all communications channels severed or jammed. With nowhere else to go, the soldiers found themselves trapped outside the only remaining safe place on Titan Station. Separated and unable to organize any form of coordinated response, they were slaughtered to the last man when the reanimated corpses found and attacked them.

**1221 hrs - **Delta Squad attempts to contact CO Naomi Shepard in order to inform her about their progress and discovery, but the persisting communications failure prevents them from establishing a working connection to her omnitool.

**1225 hrs - **After many unsuccessful attempts, Delta Squad decides to continue on their intended mission. They proceed to access the elevator which will take them to the surface level, but find it inoperable due to the power failure. Samara points out that the emergency stairwell is the only alternative route to the streets above. Zaeed points out that he hates stairs.

**1230 hrs - **Delta Squad makes it to the surface and emerges in the Central Business District (CBD). They find only death and devastation. Many buildings and overturned sky cars are on fire. Countless bodies litter the ground.

**1233 hrs - **Evidence recovered from another audio log suggests that a mass riot had taken place hours ago, involving hundreds of civilians who were protesting against the declaration of martial law. The majority of the rioters were instantly killed when a group of people in the crowd proclaimed 'One body, one mind! and detonated explosives. The large crater in the middle of the CBD, accompanied by the large amounts of blood and body parts, lends credibility to the details provided by the audio log.

**1242 hrs - **Delta Squad moves on through the CBD, breaking into and searching through every office building they pass by for survivors. Their search is fruitless and they find nothing but more dead bodies.

**1244 hrs - **Delta Squad hears the sound of heavy fighting in the distance and immediately proceed toward it, hoping to find survivors before it is too late.

**1246 hrs - **Grunt senses the presence of several unidentified lifeforms shadowing the squad as they continue through the CBD and remark that they smell Human. Zaeed and Samara follow Grunt's lead to investigate one of the back alleys, thinking that they might be survivors, but the unidentified lifeforms scatter and run to another alley when Delta Squad approaches their location. The following two attempts to make contact with the unidentified lifeforms yield similar results.

**1248 hrs - **A frustrated Zaeed suggests that the squad abandon the search for their elusive stalkers. Samara agrees, stating her concern that the unidentified lifeforms they are trying to find may be the same undead creatures which attacked CO Naomi Shepard in the Transport Hub. Grunt expresses his disappointment at not being able to fight the undead.

**1250 hrs - **Delta Squad eventually reaches the largest building in the Commercial District, the Concordance and Extraction Company's (CEC) headquarters.

* * *

**5 Minutes later...**

The giant glass doors slid open soundlessly as Delta Squad approached.

Grunt stepped through first, lowering his fist in disappointment when he realized that the entrance was large enough to accommodate his massive bulk. Samara was right behind him, her high heels clicking loudly inside the long, high-ceilinged hallway. Zaeed brought up the rear, thin hair matted with sweat and grumbling furiously.

"What kind of sick bastard puts a building on top of a hundred goddamn stairs?"

"Heh heh heh."

The oldest member of Delta Squad shot Grunt a murderous glare as the Krogan began to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"I'm just surprised to see that you survived the climb," Grunt chortled, mashing a fist into his open palm. "Those stairs should have killed you and spared me the trouble of doing it myself."

"Oh yeah? Well, you should be more surprised that I didn't simply shoot you when you had your back turned just now," Zaeed sneered and folded his arms.

Grunt lapsed into silence, looking stunned for a few seconds before recovering with a hearty chuckle and a shake of his head. "Ha ha! That...was a good one. Alright Zaeed, you get to live for another hour."

"Wonderful," Zaeed bit out sarcastically as he wiped the sweat off his brow.

"ATTENTION. ATTENTION."

The three members of Delta Squad all jumped about a foot into the air when a deafening female voice, belonging to the building's Virtual Intelligence, suddenly came on over the Public Announcement system. The VI sounded like EDI, but it was easily ten times louder, almost blowing out their eardrums in the process.

"Goddamn it! What the hell was that?!" Zaeed yelled, both hands clasped tight over his ears. Samara mirrored his actions while Grunt roared angrily at the ceiling above, trying to make the VI cease its broadcast by shouting at it.

"ATTENTION. ATTENTION. SECURITY LOCKDOWN HAS BEEN INITIATED. ATTENTION. ATTENTION. SECURITY LOCKDOWN HAS BEEN INITIATED."

The automated message began to repeat itself, just as all the lights in the hallway extinguished themselves abruptly and plunged the squad into darkness. The pitch-blackness lasted for only a brief moment before being replaced by the disorienting flashes of red warning lights, casting multiple beams of crimson which spun wildly around them. These came accompanied by the stentorian blaring of an alarm which, in combination with the VI's announcements, made quite the incredible din, throwing their senses of sight, hearing and direction into disarray.

As if all that wasn't enough, an ominous grinding sound soon added itself to the chaotic amalgamation of noises, alerting the squad to the two heavy metal bulkheads which were now slowly but surely descending over both ends of the hallway.

"They're going to seal us in! We have to get out of here, NOW!" Grunt turned around and prepared to charge out of the building, but Samara threw out a hand to stop him, shaking her head. Both of her male companions gawked at her in disbelief.

"What's wrong with you, woman?! We're going to be trapped like rats if we stay here! I know I signed up for a bloody suicide mission, but Cerberus ain't paying me enough to be stuck for all eternity inside some building with a thousand-year old nun and a goddamn baby Krogan!" Zaeed spat, ending his rant by jabbing a twitching finger in Grunt's direction.

The bulkheads were almost halfway down at this point. Zaeed hurriedly tore his gaze away from the thick slabs of reinforced metal and rounded on the Asari Justicar with fury burning in his mismatched eyes. "Samara!"

"We need to press on into the building. Escaping is not an option."

"WHAT?! Why?" The veteran exploded, unable to believe his ears. The complete lack of urgency in Samara's voice combined with her expressionless face only served to make him even more livid.

"A security lockdown like this could not have been activated automatically by a VI," Samara explained calmly, watching as realization and understanding flickered across her squadmates' faces. "Therefore, it is highly likely that there are survivors here who initiated it shortly after we arrived. The fact that they resorted to such a drastic measure means that they are in considerable danger. We must find them. They may very well be the only survivors that we find today."

"Son of a bitch! Everybody, haul ass!" Zaeed cursed loudly, instantly breaking into a sprint. Samara and Grunt took off after him, following his lead and racing as fast as they could toward the shrinking square of white light a hundred meters ahead. Zaeed knew and fully understood where Samara was coming from, but that didn't mean he liked it. Having to put himself at risk for some idiotic civilians didn't sit well with him at all. Still, he knew that there was no arguing with the Justicar when there were lives in danger. Shepard was no different, and had given him a wicked punch to the face when he tried to talk her out of saving some refinery workers during their mission to Zorya.

"We sure picked a fucking good time to come here didn't we? The lockdown is almost complete! We won't make it to the other end in time!"

Samara pulled back an arm, her biotics flaring. "Have no fear. I will use stasis to buy us some time." With a flick of her wrist, she sent a bright blue projectile streaking toward the bulkhead like a missile. Upon impact, the ball of biotic energy detonated with a muffled boom, flattening itself against the metal and quickly spreading outwards, enveloping it within a mass effect field. The bulkhead's descent was slowed to a crawl by Samara's biotic stasis attack, but unfortunately, it could not be stopped entirely. It literally weighed a ton after all.

"Keep going! The stasis will wear off soon!" Samara turned to the bounty hunter, finally with some urgency in her voice. She gave him an encouraging nod, slowing her pace a little so that he could keep up with her. Zaeed's face was contorted, hand clutching a stitch at his side as he pushed his exhausted body to its limits. "Hurry, Zaeed!"

"I'm trying, goddamn it!" He exclaimed in between his heavy panting, swearing as he stumbled dangerously and nearly fell. "Fuck this! I'm really getting too old for-"

Just then, the bulkhead behind them closed with a thunderous, resounding boom, making the ground shudder and sending Zaeed and Samara sprawling. Grunt staggered but did not fall, stumbling head-first into the wall with an angry grunt and leaving a small dent in it. A low rumbling made the three of them look up, just in time to see the blue glow around the bulkhead dissipate and for it to resume its descent over their one and only exit. Given their current predicament and compared to when it was under the effects of stasis, the bulkhead almost seemed to be in free fall now.

Samara recovered quickly and scrambled to her feet, dashing forward but stopping herself in mid-stride when she realized that it was already too late. Zaeed swore, remaining slumped against the wall where he had fallen, knowing a lost cause when he saw one. Grunt however, did not give up so easily.

Balling both hands into fists, he let out a terrifying roar and charged forward, never mind that there was now only a gap of roughly two meters between the bottom of the bulkhead and the floor. The VI and security lockdown alarm were both momentarily drowned out by his impressive battle cry, and his two squadmates watched on in disbelief as the tank-bred super soldier barreled toward several inches of solid steel, completely ignoring common sense and the odds stacked against him.

"A petty door will not stop me! I AM KROGAN!"

Having built up a significant amount of momentum and aided by his genetically-enhanced muscles, Grunt hurtled down the hallway like an unstoppable juggernaut of physical force, leaving small craters and broken floor tiles behind him. After seeing this awe-inspiring display of raw ferocity and speed, Zaeed and Samara fully expected him to make it through the gap unscathed. Unfortunately, Grunt was just a little too large and had failed to see the need to lower his head when he passed underneath the bulkhead.

As a result, his head smashed into it with a wince-inducing crack, the sheer force of the collision instantly knocking him out cold. If Grunt had been anything other than a Krogan, his head would have been shattered and splattered all over the bulkhead in the form of a bloody asterisk. But, since Grunt was indeed a Krogan, the outcome was remarkably different since his forehead was almost as tough as the surface it had rammed into.

The impact was so great that it flipped Grunt over, making him perform an amazing bulkhead-assisted back tuck before he came crashing back down in a giant unmoving heap. Either through sheer dumb luck or the magic of trajectory physics, Grunt's accident and acrobatic manoeuvre had caused him to end up on the other side of the threshold. Barely a second later, the massive bulkhead met the ground with a deafening boom, once again throwing Zaeed and Samara off-balance and separating them from their Krogan squadmate. The last thing they saw was an unconscious Grunt, lying sprawled on the ground with a small pool of blood spreading around his head, a look of surprise and pain frozen on his face.

With the bulkheads on both ends of the hallway and throughout the CEC headquarters building secured, the VI ceased its announcements and the security lockdown alarms fell silent. The red warning lights in the hallway shut off as well, plunging Zaeed and Samara into darkness and an uncomfortable, stifling silence.

Zaeed groaned and swore, activating the flashlight on his assault rifle and sweeping it about, trying to locate his other squadmate. He found Samara standing in front of the bulkhead with a forlorn expression on her face, running a hand slowly across the smooth metal surface as though she was searching for a hidden opening mechanism for the monolithic metal barrier. Neither one of them felt like speaking and they stood awkwardly in silence for a good three minutes before Zaeed finally cleared his throat.

"Hey."

A pause.

"Yes, Zaeed?"

The bounty hunter sat down with a huff and propped his weapon up against the wall, rummaging through his armor's many compartments for his pack of cigarettes. He could really use a smoke right about now. Zaeed sighed heavily when he found them, lighting one up and taking a long drag as he watched Samara step away from the bulkhead and sit down cross-legged in her normal meditating position.

"Grunt." He paused to exhale, watching as the dirty white smoke twisted and danced in the air in front of him. Samara said nothing but watched him attentively, waiting for him to continue. After another full minute of silence, Zaeed shrugged and gave her a hard stare, growling out the rest of his sentence.

"He's a fucking retard."

* * *

**Location: Titan Station Hospital, East Wing, Asylum, 1350 hrs**

**Isaac Clarke**

The look of surprise which flitted across their features confirmed his suspicions.

"You two are going to drop your weapons and tell me what I want to know. Why have you captured me? Where am I? And what have you done to my memories? Start talking, and you better not be lying," Isaac threatened, curling a finger around the heavy pistol's trigger. He roughly shoved the gun against the woman's head, making her wince. "Well, I'm waiting!"

"Isaac, listen to me!" The redhead pleaded with him. "Take it easy. Just drop the gun and let me go, this is all just a misunderstanding. I already said that I can explain everything to you, please trust me!"

"Let her go, and I won't shoot you dead where you stand," Garrus warned him, his voice low and dangerous. The Turian re-adjusted his firing stance, aiming through his assault rifle's scope, ready to make good on his threat. Isaac ducked his head back down, shielding his head behind the redhead's.

"You're in way over your head you idiot! If you fire that gun, you die." Miranda's cold, mocking voice made its way into his ears, infuriating him, taunting him.

"Wrong answer," Isaac snarled and pulled the trigger.

_Click._

Nothing. The weapon did not fire. He stared incredulously at the heavy pistol in his hand, jerking back in surprise when the redhead turned back and gave him a frighteningly confident smile which looked almost predatory.

"Safety's on." Oh fuck.

In a flash, their roles were reversed as the armored woman spun around and grabbed hold of him, flipping him over her shoulder and tossing him to the ground like a rag doll in a surprising show of strength. Isaac's world spun for a brief, disorienting moment before his back hit the ground, sending a jarring impact through his body and eliciting a shout from him which was half anger and half pain. He shook his head to clear it and looked up just in time to see the heavy pistol, now reunited with its owner, being leveled at his face by the smirking redhead.

"Now, the safety's off."

Isaac's eyes widened as her finger flew to the trigger, squeezing his eyes shut and yelling as he heard the weapon fire, the sound being impossibly loud in the enclosed space. At this range, she couldn't miss. He saw the flash of the muzzle behind his closed eyelids and prepared to feel his head explode into several bloody pieces. Getting gunned down by terrorists, this was not how he had wanted to go down at all. At least it would be a quick death. To his utter shock and surprise, he felt the bullet slam not into his head, but the ground just millimeters away from his ear.

He slowly opened one eye and then the other, and although he was thankful to be alive, he was completely bewildered as to why the woman had missed the shot. Hadn't they come here to kill him? Already, his suspicions were beginning to fade and a small voice at the back of his throbbing head was suggesting to him that perhaps, these people were indeed telling the truth after all. Still, that didn't take away the fact that these people were working for the very same organization which was holding him prisoner. And more importantly, why and how did they have a dead Commander Shepard with them?

"Isaac, I hope you realize by now that we're not here to hurt you. Just take it easy, that's all I'm asking."

Isaac was shaken out of his thoughts when the redhead extended her hand, holding out the heavy pistol with its grip facing him. Wordlessly, he wrapped his hand around the weapon, allowing the woman to help him to his feet before she let go of the gun, letting him take possession of it. With the heavy pistol once again back in his hand, Isaac took a step back and surveyed the Cerberus soldiers before him, looking from the redhead's smug grin to Miranda's ice-cold glare and finally to Garrus' piercing stare. Judging from their expressions, Miranda and Garrus didn't seem too pleased that he had come out of the altercation alive. Then again, he couldn't blame them. He had just threatened their Commander's life after all.

"Really, Commander? You're still not going to kill him?" Miranda turned to the redhead, slightly raising an eyebrow and folding her arms over her ample bosom. "Even after that stunt he just pulled on you?"

Garrus chipped in as well. "And you're giving him a gun. _Your_ gun. Shepard, this is the guy that tried to blow your head off a minute ago."

Isaac bit back a retort, knowing that 'Commander Shepard' was the only member of the team who didn't feel like ripping him apart right now, and she was probably the only thing keeping her royally pissed squadmates off him. For now, it was probably a good idea to start giving them the benefit of doubt, drop the confrontational attitude and avoid antagonizing them any further.

He lowered the heavy pistol, letting out what he hoped to be an apologetic sigh and relaxed his facial features to form half a smile. "Hey," Isaac offered his hand to the redhead who shook it without hesitation, giving him another one of her brilliant smiles. "Look, I think we all got off on the wrong foot. I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I was confused and angry, and I took it out on you guys."

"Don't be. It's completely understandable given your circumstances. Besides, I wasn't in any danger at all. You forgot the safety catch! I was just playing along," the redhead ended with a laugh.

Isaac chuckled and shook his head, relaxing his standing posture. "Right, I'll remember that the next time I try to shoot you."

"Yeah, you try that. If you so much as point that thing at Shepard again, I will kill you," Garrus growled, mandibles flaring.

'Commander Shepard' crossed her arms and shook her head at him disapprovingly. "Come on, Garrus. Try to play nice."

The Turian's expression instantly softened and was replaced by a look of mischief. "Play nice?" Garrus drawled and gave the redhead a sly look, his eyes twinkling. "That's not what you tell me every night."

Miranda groaned and put a hand to her head while the redhead spluttered, her face flushing and becoming almost the same color as her hair. Isaac took slightly longer to get the sexual innuendo, but when he did, he couldn't help but feel thoroughly amused. Despite everything that had happened so far, and despite knowing that he should have bigger concerns, Isaac was greatly intrigued by the nature of the Turian's relationship with 'Commander Shepard'. He had never seen a Turian and Human couple before. "So, you and Garrus?"

The redhead gave him an irritated glance. "Isaac! Seriously?"

"Shepard, I'm not sure why this kind of talk keeps coming up in our conversations. Either Garrus is that good, or you're a total harlot," Miranda smirked, becoming the next target of her Commander's glare.

"Miranda!"

"Of course, it could also be both of those reasons you mentioned," Garrus tapped a talon to his mandible thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, I should send you a copy of that vid we made-"

The redhead rounded on the Turian, her green eyes blazing. "Garrus!"

Isaac let out a short but hearty chuckle, now feeling totally at ease about being in the company of these three strangers. It was plainly obvious by now that they had no intention of killing him. The friendly ribbing which had just transpired between them had given him more than enough proof to believe that these were genuinely good people. They couldn't possibly be the ruthless terrorists that he initially thought them to be! However, he still had many questions which needed answering, and now was probably a good time to steer the conversation back on track. Fortunately, 'Commander Shepard' had similar thoughts, putting up both of her hands to silence her squadmates and turning her attention to him.

"It was unfortunate that you had to see that," the redhead sighed, rolling her eyes at the Turian. "Garrus can be quite the retarded comedian. Now, all thanks to him, your impression of me will never be the same again. Damn it, talk about making a poor first impression..."

"Poor first impressions? I guess that makes the two of us," Isaac said dryly.

"Heh, nice one. Anyway, now that we have successfully managed to clear away all of that unhealthy tension, shall we get to those questions that we have for each other?"

"Sure."

"You start. Ladies first," the redhead shot him a playful smile.

Isaac found himself shaking his head and smiling in amusement. He was taking a liking to this girl. "Well, first things first. You know who I am, but I don't know who you people are."

"Look, I know this may be a little hard to believe, but I am really who I claim to be. I am Commander Shepard of the Normandy," she told him smoothly and confidently, sounding as though she had rehearsed and spoken those words countless of times before. At this point, all of his senses were screaming at him, telling him that this woman was indeed the real deal. All of his previous doubts vanished as he thought back to the way she had spared him earlier, that air of confidence and authority she exuded, that indescribable, extraordinary aura which hung around her. All of that pointed to the undeniable truth, that incredibly, Humanity's greatest hero was back from the dead and standing right in front of him.

"Do you believe me now?" Shepard had seen something change in his eyes as the realization hit him.

Isaac gave her a nod of confirmation. "Yes, I do. Although I didn't believe what you were saying at first, a part of me still recognized who you were. When you stated your name just now, I remembered certain things about you, like watching your Spectre Induction ceremony."

Miranda turned to the Turian beside her. "Watch out, Garrus. You've got some competition."

"Competition? Please, Miranda. Isaac doesn't have any scars. He doesn't stand a chance."

"Guys?"

"Shutting up now, Commander." They answered in unison.

"Thanks. Anyway, Isaac. Since we are on the topic of introductions, these two jokers are Garrus Vakarian and Miranda Lawson. Both of them are part of the Normandy's crew, serving aboard her as Gunnery Officer and Executive Officer respectively." Shepard turned away from her squadmates' sheepish grins and motioned for Isaac to continue. "I have to ask, though. Is taking someone hostage and putting a gun to their head your usual way of greeting them?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't believe you earlier because I recalled reading about your death. You were killed in action over Alchera two years ago. How are you still alive? And why are you working for Cerberus? Was your death some kind of fabrication?"

She gave him a sad look. "No, everything about my death is true. An attack by the Collectors destroyed my ship and tossed me out into space. My suit was breached and I suffocated." Shepard gave an involuntary shudder and Isaac noticed that she seemed particularly disturbed by the memory. Her eyes were downcast, the light in them dimming as she recollected the details of her demise. "I was dead, dead as dead could be, until Cerberus came along. They recovered my body, then spent the next two years and four billion credits to bring me back to life."

Isaac was stunned. "They brought you back from the dead?" For some reason, the words he had just spoken made him feel cold all of a sudden, the creeping chill of dread sending a shiver down his spine. What was that? A remnant of a buried and forgotten memory?

"Apparently, an alien race known as the Collectors were abducting entire Human colonies while I was sleeping. Cerberus wanted, no, needed me to investigate the abductions and find a way to end the threat of the Collectors for good. I'm not sure if you know about the Collectors and their attack on Human colonies, but I'll make one thing very clear. I'm not working _for_ Cerberus, I'm working _with_ them."

"Noted. I have no knowledge about the Collector attacks, but I can tell that you hate Cerberus with a passion. I'm glad to say that I share the same sentiment."

Shepard glanced at Miranda before replying. "Believe me, I was less than thrilled when I found out that they had done things to my body, resurrected me and turned me into their glorified errand girl. I definitely do not support their methods and morals, and I still view them as racist terrorists. This time however, they are doing something noble for once. They are the only organisation willing to do something about the Collectors, whereas the Alliance and the Council are both turning a blind eye to recent events."

"Cerberus gave me a ship, a crew and other resources for a cause which I fully agreed with, and for a mission which I was willing to die for. So, I gave Cerberus a second chance. In these past few months, I have discovered that there is still good in the organization. There are good, capable people in Cerberus who are all just working for the wrong man."

"They captured me and held me against my will!" Isaac exclaimed indignantly, pointing an accusatory finger at Miranda. "Why don't you ask her to explain that?"

"Hang on," Shepard put up both hands, looking confused. "Why do you think that Cerberus captured you? You're in a hospital on Titan Station, an Alliance colony. This isn't a Cerberus facility."

"Then how do you explain this?" Isaac pulled back his sleeve, showing her the tracking band on his wrist. The Cerberus insignia stamped on it was in plain sight, and Miranda could barely suppress her gasp of surprise. "My god..."

"That's odd," Garrus muttered, frowning. "Shepard, this changes everything we know about our mission."

"Agreed. Miranda, what do you make of this?"

The raven-haired woman shook her head. "I haven't got a clue, Shepard. Details from the Persephone Cell have never crossed my desk before. Using Humans as test subjects? This doesn't make any sense at all. How is this man even related to Project Persephone? Something is very wrong here."

"Where have I not heard that before?" Commander Shepard groaned, pinching her nose.

Isaac noticed for the first time that there was a thin, fresh scar running across it, as though it had been broken and only recently set back into place. His eyes traveled to the rest of her face, and he could see dried blood, dirt and grime smeared across her pretty features. She looked like she had been in a fight. Frowning, he turned his attention to Miranda, a sharp intake of breath accompanying the slight arch of his eyebrows when he saw the two large, bloody gashes on her suit sleeves. Where had Shepard and her crew come from? Didn't she say that they were on Titan Station? They looked like they had just charged and fought through a war zone.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Isaac asked, feeling a little unsettled by the dark looks which had fallen over all of their faces.

Shepard looked to him, her face full of concern. "Isaac, I need you to think back very carefully. Do you remember anything at all about your abduction? Can you tell us what Cerberus is doing with you, or to you?"

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to pry into the dark recesses of his mind, but all he was rewarded with was a sharp jolt of pain through his skull as his blocked memories eluded him.

"Anything?"

"I can't remember anything, Shepard. If I try any harder, I have a feeling that it'll end up frying my brain or something. Those memory blocks that Cerberus put in place are no joke."

"Damn it," the redhead cursed. "Now we have more questions than answers."

Isaac felt frustrated. He hated being in the dark about everything, especially now that he knew Cerberus was responsible for screwing around inside his mind. He had hoped that Shepard would be able to clear things up with him, but she was just as clueless as he was, and that frightened him a little. It made his skin tingle just thinking about how very odd and almost unbelievable it was for someone as distinguished as her to personally lead a team to find him. Him! He was just some random patient locked up by Cerberus for God knows what reason. There was something much greater and more sinister at work here. The fact that both he and Shepard were brought together through their involvement with Cerberus was a little disturbing.

"Shepard...what were you doing here?"

Before Shepard could answer, a twisted female scream pierced through the air, causing her to jerk in shock and her green eyes to narrow, becoming alert. Isaac could feel his skin crawl as the inhuman scream echoed around his cell and the room beyond, petering out and being replaced by a discomforting silence. Garrus drew his assault rifle with a practiced flourish, unfolding it and engaging the flashlight, stepping out of the cell and doing a sweep of the dimly-lit corridor. Straining with his ears, Isaac could hear a dull clanging getting steadily louder and louder. It sounded like several people were crawling through the ventilation shafts at a frantic pace. It also sounded like they were all headed in their direction.

"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked warily, the level of alertness being displayed by Shepard and her squadmates making him nervous. The Commander had her assault rifle drawn and Miranda was grasping her sub-machine gun tightly. Shepard's heavy pistol in his hands felt tiny by comparison.

"Shepard?" Garrus called from outside the cell, aiming his flashlight up at a spot somewhere above them. Isaac couldn't really see what lay beyond his cell, but he had no intention of stepping out to see what the Turian was so concerned about. This was practically a military operation, and he was just a civilian! If he was going to do anything, it would be following Commander Shepard's lead.

"What is it, Garrus?" Shepard inched closer to the entrance of his cell, assault rifle still raised and at the ready.

"There's a lot of movement out here, Shepard. I think that the natives are getting restless."

"We should leave, Commander. This is hardly a defensible location if we get attacked," Miranda informed her, clear blue eyes darting from one darkened corner to the next.

"Okay, we're moving out!" Shepard announced, striding back into the cell and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Isaac, stay close. We're getting out of here."

"Wait a minute. Where are we going? Why is it no longer safe? What-"

Isaac felt the breath catch in his throat when the redhead leaned in close and stared deep into his eyes. He could see an emotion reflected in her eyes, an emotion which seemed so frighteningly out of place. Fear. Commander Shepard was afraid.

"Isaac, I need you to trust me okay? We have no more time for explanations. Right now, we're all in terrible, terrible danger."

Shepard finished her warning just as all hell broke loose, right on cue.

* * *

**Location: ****Titan Station Commercial District, CEC Headquarters, 1310 hrs**

**Delta Squad, Grunt**

Grunt was dreaming.

He was in a nightmarish, underground restaurant with blaring bright lights. The walls were painted a cheerful sky blue, white clouds spaced out at regular intervals. There was no door, no way out. He was trapped.

The massive Krogan sat almost comically upon a tiny red stool behind a counter, staring down at a bowl of white worms with two sticks gripped in his right hand. The bowl was half-filled with broth and actually looked appealing, but the smell wafting out from it tickled and irritated his nostrils, making him shudder in disgust.

"This is...food?" He grumbled, looking around at all the Asari waitresses walking up and down the aisles. Grunt pushed his bowl away and waved his arms wildly, trying in vain to catch their attention.

He couldn't help but shudder again when another waitress passed by. It was then that he realized one very chilling fact. All of the waitresses in the restaurant had the exact same face. At first glance, every single one of them was exceptionally beautiful, but a closer look revealed that the top half of their faces were all wrong. Their eyes were missing, leaving only sockets which were totally empty, black and soulless.

"Ugh. I've had enough of this."

Grunt hopped off the stool, intending to charge through the wall and make an exit if he had to. This place was getting a little too creepy for him. It was time to go. He took several steps back, readying himself to become an organic battering ram.

"Raaaaaagh!"

He hit the wall head-on, but it was much harder than it looked. There was pain, a loud crack, and then everything became white.

* * *

Grunt gasped as he regained consciousness, his body flailing and jerking upright into a sitting position. His hand flew to his aching head and came away bloody, but Grunt wasn't even concerned. He merely regarded it with a casual grunt before shifting his attention elsewhere. If a wound didn't incapacitate him, then it wasn't worth worrying about.

The Krogan super soldier took in his surroundings with some interest. He was in an absolutely gigantic, cavernous atrium within the CEC building. The circular open space stretched up from the ground floor where he was, all the way to the the top of the building. A large glass column was in the center, housing two elevators within its walls. An artificial river wound its way through the ground floor, surrounded on both sides by lush greenery and dotted with fountains. Everything in the area was of a simplistic, futuristic design, featuring polished metal, white concrete and glass. A dizzying array of walkways, balconies and sky-bridges crossed and linked up with each other on every level above, making it seem like he was looking up at a giant, intricate web. Panels of glass, each of them hundreds of meters long, hung down from the ceiling two hundred stories above like staglactites.

The architecture here was quite impressive, especially when compared to the pathetic jumble of rubble that passed off as the Urdnot clan building on Tuchanka. Grunt couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed for his race, having been soundly defeated by the soft and small Humans in the field of architecture. It was deathly quiet in the atrium, save for the sound of running water. Where were his squadmates?

Grunt blinked and turned to face the sound of approaching footsteps, coming face to face with a young female Human. She was slightly tanned, her body slim and athletic, dressed in gray cargo pants and a pink top. Her brown hair was tied into two pigtails, framing a small face with gentle features, while her hands were wrapped in a pair of thick, heavy-duty working gloves. Grunt was pleased to see that her bare arms were toned and had some muscle to them, and that the woman appeared to have plenty of scratches, cuts and dirt all over her body. Her clothes were ripped and bloodstained in some places, and her face was streaked with dirt and sweat. She looked rugged and tough, a warrior woman just like Shepard!

"Thank goodness! I thought you were dead!" The Human exclaimed in relief, getting down on one knee and looking intently at his bloodied face. "There's a lot blood. Does it hurt? I have some medi-gel and-"

"You have my shotgun," Grunt growled, glaring at the M-300 Claymore in her hands. He reached out swiftly and snatched it back, checking it for damages and nodding in satisfaction when it appeared intact. "Touch my stuff again, and I will pull your head off."

The Human stood up angrily, crossing her arms with a huff and looking offended. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry," she snapped, not sounding apologetic at all. "You don't have to be such an ass about it. I came across you while you were unconscious, and I thought that you were another corpse." The brunette paused for a second, squeezing her eyes shut as several hot, angry tears fell down her cheeks. When she opened them a moment later, they were filled with a look of fury and determination.

"Barely half an hour ago, I watched all of my friends die in the most horrible ways imaginable, and I had to run for my life with nothing to defend myself with. So please forgive me if I have to resort to picking a weapon off a dead body in order to make sure that I don't get torn to pieces by the next monster I see!"

Grunt bowed his head, impressed by the Human's resolve."Hah! You've got a quad, Human! Lucky for you, I'm here to protect you now. You can call me Grunt."

"You're Grunt?" The woman looked a little surprised by the simplicity of his name. She reached up with a hand to sweep aside several stray strands of hair, giving him an intense stare as she contemplated whether or not to team up with the Krogan. It was an easy decision to make. "I'm Ellie. Ellie Langford."

* * *

**Location: Normandy SR2 Crew Deck, 1315 hrs**

**Echo Squad, Kasumi**

Kasumi cried out as a sudden, powerful blow to the back of her head sent her reeling. She spun around, just in time to see and feel an assault rifle slamming against the side of her head, knocking her onto the ground.

Gasping in shock, pain and fear, Kasumi dragged herself forward, trying to crawl away from her attacker.

It was Yeoman Kelly Chambers.

"Hello there, Kasumi."

"Kelly?" Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise, wincing as a jolt of pain shot through the side of her head. Her cheek stung from where she was struck, and her jaw felt like it was on fire. She could taste blood on her lip and her vision was a little blurry. How hard had Kelly hit her?

"Why are you doing this?"

Shepard's cheerful personal assistant gave the hooded Japanese woman lying at her feet a crazed, lopsided smile. Kelly had blood smeared all over her Cerberus uniform, but the disturbing lack of any visible injuries on her person meant that the blood was not hers. Splashes of blood coated her face and hair, and her hands were shining with a slick, red liquid. The psychologist was holding a standard M-8 Avenger assault rifle in her blood-soaked hands, and Kasumi felt horror and revulsion well up within her when she finally put two and two together.

"Kelly...what have you done?"

Kasumi froze when Kelly raised the assault rifle, still smiling giddily like a child. What was wrong with her? This wasn't the Kelly she knew. The Normandy's Yeoman was now undoubtedly insane, having slaughtered so many of her fellow crew mates and attacked her for no apparent reason.

"Prepare yourself for your ascension! Altman be praised!" Kelly exclaimed hysterically, her finger flying to her weapon's trigger. Her eyes were unnaturally wide and had a faraway look in them, the pupils within dilating and shaking erratically, making the sick smile which was plastered on her face even more frightening.

The Kelly Chambers she knew was no more.

At that moment, self-preservation and ninja-like reflexes took over. Kasumi lashed out with her hand, swatting the assault rifle out of Kelly's hands just as she fired, making most of her shots go wide. Unfortunately, three of the bullets still managed to strike her. At such a close range, the first two impacting her shields were enough to destroy them. The last round grazed her right shoulder, slicing through her suit and searing a red line across her skin.

Kasumi cried out as her shoulder burned, the path carved out by the bullet feeling like a red-hot poker being pressed against her flesh. Cringing in pain, the Master Thief scrambled backward, her hand fumbling with the heavy pistol clipped to her thigh. Kasumi's back struck the wall just as she managed to pull out her weapon, unfolding and aiming it with shaking hands at Kelly, who was walking slowly toward her with a sad expression on her face.

"Stay back!" Kasumi's voice trembled, her aim faltering as a wave of pain coursed through her shoulder. "I said, stay back! Snap out of it, Kelly! I don't want to shoot you!"

"Why must you resist?! Why can't all of you see it? We must shed our mortal forms and ascend! That is our destiny!" Kelly shrieked, sounding distraught. "Convergence is finally here, and you want to escape it?"

"Get away from me!"

It was a poor choice of words. Screaming like a banshee, Kelly lunged at Kasumi with her hands outstretched. She could only get one shot off before the crazy psychopath was upon her, wrestling for control of the gun.

Snarling like an animal and screaming incoherent nonsense, Kelly gave her arm a vicious twist, trying to force Kasumi to relinquish her hold on the heavy pistol. The Master Thief gasped as her wrist almost snapped under the other woman's unbelievable strength, her eyes watering at the sharp pain it caused her. She was forced to let go of the weapon, but she sure as hell wasn't going to make it easy for Kelly. Kasumi managed to pull her arm back a fraction of an inch and flicked her wrist, tossing the gun over her attacker's shoulder. It clattered to the ground behind Kelly who cursed loudly, immediately letting go of her and diving for the fallen weapon.

Kasumi seized the opportunity to get to her feet and charge at her while she was still on the ground and reaching for the heavy pistol. She rammed a knee into Kelly's side, flipping her onto her back with a cry of pain, the gun once more eluding her grasp and spinning across the floor. Pouncing on the insane Yeoman, Kasumi pressed one knee into her stomach to knock the wind out of her target and stretched out her other leg to pin Kelly's left hand to the floor. Kelly raged and thrashed beneath her, her body bucking and chest heaving as she tried to throw Kasumi off. The Master Thief had leverage and was able to effectively keep her pinned, albeit barely. Kelly's madness had somehow given her superhuman strength and Kasumi could barely hang on, straining with the effort needed to hold her down.

Kasumi ducked underneath a wild swing and caught the second punch that the Yeoman threw at her, forcing the offending hand down by the wrist and pinning it to the floor above her head. She took a second to catch her breath, her heart racing and hammering in her chest, sweat glistening on her skin and face from her exertions. Kelly was completely helpless now, but she was still struggling like a caged beast, hissing and spitting like a wildcat, gnashing her teeth at Kasumi's face and even attempting to headbutt her.

"Kelly! Stop it! It's me, Kasumi!"

"We will all be made whole by the Marker!" Her friend was still spouting some kind of religious nonsense, and showed no signs of regaining her sanity. She was a danger to herself and everyone around her. She had already murdered more than a dozen people, and had every intention of killing her as well. Given the current circumstances and the dire situation on the Normandy, Kelly Chambers was too dangerous to be left alive.

With great regret and a heavy heart, Kasumi unsheathed her Tantō from its holder on her thigh, flipping it around expertly in her hand and holding it in a reverse-grip, its gleaming blade pointed downward. Her Tantō was a unique, futuristic version of a traditional Japanese short sword, featuring a silver monomolecular blade capable of shredding through shields, barriers, armor and flesh with ease. Kasumi normally used the blade in conjunction with her Shadow Strike technique, in which she would render herself invisible with her suit's tactical cloak, sneak up behind a target, and deliver a fatal strike to its back or neck. Her targets either died instantly, or bled out in seconds. The Tantō was her weapon of choice in close-quarters combat, and she was extremely proficient in its use, having used it to perform a number of assassinations in her long criminal career.

And now, she was going to use it to kill a friend.

"No, you're not Kelly. Not anymore," Kasumi whispered, as though saying those words aloud could offer her some small degree of comfort from what she was about to do. She raised the blade high, her body being rocked back and forth by Kelly's continued violent struggles beneath her. She had to strike now! Kasumi bit her lip, knowing that this was the only way.

She hesitated.

With a yell, Kelly wrenched her hand free from underneath Kasumi's knee and punched her in the throat, throwing her backwards and knocking her off-balance. The Master Thief crumpled in a heap and collapsed into a violent coughing fit, choking and gagging. The Yeoman's brutal rabbit punch had almost crushed her windpipe, leaving her severely debilitated and numb. Kasumi watched with mounting panic as Kelly stalked over to her prone, shuddering form like a predator to its prey, grinning devilishly with pure killing intent rolling off her in waves.

Kasumi struggled to move, dimly remembering the Tantō which was still gripped tightly in her hand. Before she could use it, however, a heavy foot stomped down on her sword arm, trapping it to the floor and making her choke out a pained gasp. In a desperate move, she let go of the Tantō and swiftly reached over with her free hand, snatching it up and stabbing it deep into Kelly's thigh. The blade did what it was designed to do, cutting into two inches of flesh and sending fresh red blood spurting out of the wound, splattering all over Kasumi's hood, face and hands. Kelly shrieked and howled, lifting her foot off Kasumi's arm and kicking her viciously in the face, snapping her head to the side and sending the Master Thief rolling sideways until she crashed to a halt against the door to the female restrooms. Kasumi whimpered and moaned, feeling and tasting the blood which was flowing freely down from her nose and a large cut on her cheek into her open, gasping mouth. Squeezing her eyes shut against the pain, she staggered to her feet, keeping her back pressed to the door for support. She was hurting all over from the savage beating that Kelly had given her, and didn't know how much more punishment she could take.

Kasumi's eyes flew open and she gave rise to a strangled scream when two bloody hands suddenly closed around her neck in a vice-like grip. Kelly's deranged face was just inches away from her own, silently mouthing the words 'make us whole' as she began to choke the life out of her body. Kasumi's hands shot out to claw and grab at her attacker's wrists, trying to break the stranglehold around her throat, but to no avail. Kelly was just too insanely strong, even with the Tantō buried in her thigh. It was as if the Yeoman could no longer feel pain. Blood was streaming down from her injured leg like a red river, but even such a grievous injury seemed to have no effect whatsoever on the mad psychologist.

Black spots were starting to appear over her vision and Kelly was still not letting go. Kasumi's lungs were screaming for air, her body convulsing as her last breath left her bloodied lips. Desperately, she switched tactics and lashed out with her leg, kicking Kelly in the stomach. Hard.

Finally, Kelly let go of her. The two battered and bruised women stumbled away from each other, both coughing and doubled over in pain and breathlessness. Kelly recovered first, and with a snarl, tackled Kasumi against the door, ripping the hood off her head and grabbing a fistful of the long, jet-black hair underneath the fabric. Ruthlessly, Kelly slammed her victim's head against the door, ignoring Kasumi's cries of pain and leaving a bloody smear on the smooth metal.

Kelly pulled back her arm and slammed Kasumi's head against the door again, this time with all the strength that she could muster and making sure that the Master Thief hit it forehead-first. Kasumi screamed, feeling a terrible pain explode in her skull as the impact tore a large gash on her forehead, warm blood starting to run down her face in rivulets. Her vision was getting blurry, filled with splotches of red and black as she felt herself reeling from the effects of a concussion.

As she was dragged away from the door for one last, fatal attack, Kasumi caught sight of the one thing that could save her. The green lighting of the door's opening mechanism.

"MAKE US WHOLE!"

Kasumi shouted in desperation, flinging her hands out in front of her just as Kelly shoved her head forward. Her fingertips brushed against the lock, making the door cycle open at the last moment and sending both of them tumbling into the flooded restroom. Coughing and spluttering as she splashed down onto a thin film of water, Kasumi raised her head and shook the water from her eyes, gasping at the horrifying scene which lay before her.

The restroom was in a mess, the floor submerged underneath nearly an inch of water. The sound of open, running taps directed her attention to the two sinks which were overflowing in one corner, contributing to the growing amount of water inundating the restroom. Her gaze shifted to the other side of the small room, where the body of a female crew member had fallen face down, blocking the drain. There were multiple gunshot wounds on the girl's back, and the water around her was colored red, lapping against her body like a crimson tide. She was another one of Kelly's victims.

Kasumi barely had enough time to register the flickering lights, smashed mirrors and shattered shower stall partitions before Kelly was upon her once again, straddling her and trying to go for her throat. This time, however, she was ready and able to defend herself. Before Kelly could get her hands wrapped around her neck, Kasumi threw up her hands, flinging water at her face. When the woman on top of her flinched, clawing at her eyes, Kasumi bucked her hips and threw Kelly off, making the Yeoman land with a splash beside her. Springing to her feet, the Master Thief descended on the momentarily blinded and stunned woman, bashing her face in repeatedly with an angry fist. After the fifth strike, Kelly's head fell back, her nose broken and bleeding profusely, eyes slowly rolling up into her head.

Kasumi stopped her next punch in mid-swing and proceeded to yank the barely-conscious Kelly up by her auburn hair, dragging her unceremoniously over to one of the sinks. Along the way, her prisoner struggled and kicked, but the floor was wet and her feet found no purchase, slipping and sliding uselessly. Kasumi brought Kelly's head down upon the edge of the sink, grimacing at the wet thud which accompanied the blow. The water cascading over the lip of the basin now took on a reddish color, spilling onto the floor like a red waterfall.

As Kelly's body went slack and her struggling subsided, Kasumi shoved her forward, slamming her body against the sink and forcing her to bend over the basin full of water. Kasumi pressed her forearm against the back of Kelly's neck, her other hand maintaining a firm grip on the top of her head.

"I'm sorry," Kasumi choked out, her voice hoarse and barely a whisper.

She took a deep breath and pushed Kelly's head into the water. Kasumi held on with all her might as the mad woman fought desperately to escape, twisting her body violently this way and that, trying to wriggle out of her grasp. Kelly placed her hands on both sides of the sink and attempted to push herself out of her predicament, but the Master Thief holding her down held the dominant position and had her effectively trapped. There was no escape.

Kasumi sobbed uncontrollably, the tears mixing with the blood on her face as she watched Kelly drown, bubbles erupting onto the surface of the water as the last of her air escaped from her lungs. Kelly screamed with her last breath, her voice muffled by the water surrounding her head and ending with a sick gurgling noise when the cold liquid surged into her nose and mouth, flooding her lungs and making her body convulse horribly in its death throes. After half a minute, Kelly finally jerked and fell still, her arms slipping off the sink and hanging lifelessly by her side.

It was all over.

Gently, she let go of Kelly's body and stepped back, leaving it slumped over the sink, head still in the water. Kasumi covered her face with her hands, sickened and horrified at what she had just done. She had just killed her friend in one of the worst ways possible. Kelly, bright and cheerful Kelly, was dead by her hand. It wasn't even a quick and painless death like a bullet through the head. Kelly had died slowly and painfully. She didn't deserve any of this. What Kelly must have felt in her final moments...it was too horrible to even think about.

Kasumi was no stranger to killing, but she had never, ever ended the life of a friend before. The brutal fight which had just transpired and its tragic conclusion had left her deeply disturbed and traumatized.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath to calm herself, Kasumi dragged the back of her hand across her face, wiping away tears and blood. Her eyes hardened when she remembered that the Normandy was still on a collision course and that the lives of its remaining crew were still in danger. She had to pull herself together.

Wincing in pain, Kasumi grimly retrieved her blood-stained Tantō and sheathed it, pausing to gaze sadly at Kelly's lifeless corpse.

"Yasurakani nemure, Kelly-san."

Kasumi placed her hands together in front of her and bowed deeply in a position of prayer. The reasons for her friend's horrifying insanity were unknown, but no matter what mysterious or disturbing force was responsible, Kasumi prayed that Kelly could rest in peace.

She left the restroom, eager to put the place behind her. Stepping out into the ravaged Crew Deck, Kasumi found and picked up her heavy pistol, clipping it back onto her thigh and flipping the hood back over her head and face. She really, really felt naked without it.

The Master Thief stood slumped against the wall, soaked to the skin in water, sweat and blood. Bruises, cuts and scratches marred the skin all over her body, and her muscles were aching, screaming in protest as she raised both arms to contact Joker through her omnitool. Right now, she wanted nothing more than to slide down to the floor and fall asleep, but she knew that they still had a job to do.

"Joker?" She asked tentatively, biting her lip and fearing the worst. "Joker, are you there?"

* * *

**Echo Squad, Joker**

After an exceptionally perilous descent down the maintenance shaft during which he had almost slipped and fallen to a clumsy and painful death, the Normandy's pilot found himself in Life Support. Joker immediately noticed the chilling silence around him and remembered Kasumi's warning about the freakish space zombies stalking the Normandy's corridors, feeling a shudder run through his body. Life Support was empty and dark, the perfect place for an ambush. Joker could almost imagine one of those things crouching behind the oxygen canisters and watching his every move, waiting for the right moment to pounce on him when his back was turned and rip him into pieces.

"Shit shit shit shit!"

He had to get out of here.

Joker stuck to the shadows, creeping along the wall where Thane kept the parts for his sniper rifle and trying to tread as lightly as possible. The scenario that he had imagined in his head earlier resurfaced, making his skin crawl. Gritting his teeth, Joker angled his body to the side, keeping his back to the wall and facing the oxygen canisters across the room. There, much better. In the event that there really was a bloodthirsty zombie leaping out to kill him, he would be able to see it coming. And then he would die horribly, screaming his head off.

"Come on, Joker. You're weak and puny! Those zombies will see that you're not worth infecting and leave you alone!" Joker whispered encouragement to himself as he progressed through Life Support. "Oh, who am I kidding? The comic relief guy always dies first! Well, right after the black guy and the dumb blonde. But still!"

Finally, he made it to the door. Casting one last wary look into the room, Joker tapped the opening mechanism and shuffled out of Life Support, entering the Crew Deck and getting the shock of his life. He stood stock-still for a moment, stunned by the ghastly sight in the Crew Deck. It was nothing like he remembered. Fresh blood was everywhere, splattered on the walls and every corner. Mutilated corpses and severed limbs littered the ground. A twitching corpse lay hunched over the mess table. Or at least, Joker thought it was a corpse, until it clumsily rose to its feet.

The undead creature looked Human and still retained all four of its limbs, but that was where the similarities ended. Its face had undergone a terrifying transformation, becoming sunken, atrophied, and totally unrecognizable. To make it even worse, there was some sort of foam flowing out of its eyes, nose and gaping mouth, emanating a ghostly yellow light which made the entire thing's head look like a demonic jack-o'-lantern.

It stared at Joker and started straggling straight for him, making a series of guttural sounds which sounded disturbingly like actual words.

"Shit shit shit shit shit!" Jeff swore as he pushed himself onward through to the medical bay.

Fortunately for him, the zombie was moving even more slowly than he was. Its movements were jerky and stiff, and it stumbled every few steps as though it was just learning how to walk. Joker would have laughed at the strangely hilarious sight of a crippled zombie trying to chase after a cripple, if not for the fact that _he_ was the cripple.

As Joker sealed the door to the Medical Bay behind him, the undead corpse shambled towards the Medical Bay's large glass window and began striking a bloodied arm against it, making the glass rattle alarmingly and smearing blood across the clear surface. Tearing his eyes away from the zombie, Joker did a quick visual scan of the Medical Bay in order to make sure that he had not accidentally locked himself inside a room with even more risen dead. At first, he was relieved that the Medical Bay appeared normal, clean and devoid of blood and bodies.

That relief quickly turned to horror when he saw the dead man lying on one of the beds at the far end of the room. Joker gagged at the sight of the man's throat, sliced open by some sharp object, blood soaking the pillow and bed sheets. He was even more disturbed when he recognized the man, dressed not in a Cerberus uniform, but in bloody civilian clothes. It was the survivor from the escape pod. From the looks of it, someone had murdered him in his sleep.

"Holy..." Joker's exclamation was cut short by an incoming message on his omnitool. Hurriedly, he put it through.

"Joker?" It was Kasumi. "Joker, are you there?"

"Yeah, I am. Holy shit, Kasumi! What the hell happened here?"

"Yokatta...I'm so glad that you're safe, Joker. Everyone on the Crew Deck is dead!" The Master Thief sounded distraught, and her voice was a little soft and shaky. Had she been injured? "The zombie broke in and killed them all before I got here. Where are you?"

"You alright, Kasumi? I'm currently in the Medical-GAH!" Joker shouted in alarm as the zombie outside managed to crack the glass with a particularly powerful punch, its following strikes sending a spiderweb of cracks expanding outward.

"Joker! What was that? I heard it from here!"

"Medical Bay!" Panicking, Joker crouched down behind a trolley containing medical equipment and hollered into his omnitool. "There's a frigging zombie outside the window and it's not Halloween! Get your ass over here, Kasumi!"

He heard heavy breathing and the sound of running from the other end of the communications channel. "Kuso! I'm on my way! Stay hidden and keep your head down!"

"You got it," Joker muttered. "Don't worry about me! I'll be right here, hiding and shitting bricks."

"Hey, if that zombie gets in there before I do, you can always break your arm off and beat it to death."

Before Joker could respond with a witty remark, he heard four gunshots ring out. A split-second later, the Medical Bay's window exploded into a million fragments, showering him with shattered glass.

"What the shit?!" The Flight Lieutenant yelled, shielding his head as shards of glass rained down around him. Despite having been warned not to come out of hiding, Joker did exactly that, staggering to his feet in order to see just what was going on outside.

Kasumi had arrived in the nick of time. The zombie was just about to climb into the Medical Bay through the broken window when it was hit by four bullets to the head, shoulder and chest, splattering its disgusting black blood all over the floor. Incredibly, the zombie was still not dead. It shambled around slowly to face its attacker, gibbering incoherently.

Seeing that her marksmanship could only get her so far, Kasumi ran forward, keeping her body low and vaulting like a gymnast over overturned chairs and fallen corpses. Joker saw her unsheathe a gleaming blade from her thigh as she ran, and his mouth fell open when Kasumi got into melee range. The slow-moving undead creature didn't even stand a chance. The Master Thief danced around it, nimbly dodging the clumsy swinging of its arms while she counter-attacked, slashing and stabbing her sword into its arms, neck and torso.

It was a glorious and gory sight to behold, like a scene straight out of one of those R-rated ninja action vids that he kept in the same folder as his other R-rated material. Blood sprayed into the air, the decapitated and dismembered corpse spewing blood like a burst fire hydrant. Kasumi performed a pirouette, finishing the zombie off with a roundhouse kick to the stomach and sending it flying into the Medical Bay. The gruesome body came to rest at Joker's feet and he backed away from it slowly, feeling slightly ill.

Kasumi leapt over the remains of the Medical Bay's shattered window and stood nonchalantly with a hand resting on her waist, her other hand sheathing the blade back into its holder.

"Trick or treat?" Kasumi cocked her head to one side, eyes gleaming from the shadows underneath her hood. There was that familiar smirk on her face, but something seemed a little off about her.

Joker's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when he took in the full extent of her injuries and her battered, disheveled appearance. "Jesus, Kasumi! You look like shit!"

The Master Thief lowered her head, looking grim and miserable. "I feel like shit too."

"What happened to you? It's like someone took a sledgehammer to your face!"

"Please, Joker. Not now," Kasumi whispered quietly.

Joker nodded slowly in understanding, his face serious. He could see that whatever happened to Kasumi had left more than just physical scars on her, and decided that it was best not to broach the subject.

"Come on, we still have to access the AI Core. EDI, how much time do we have?"

"Ten minutes to collision, Mister Moreau. I recommend haste."

Joker cursed, both he and Kasumi quickly making their way over to the door at the end of the Medical Bay.

"It's not responding." Kasumi tapped the red display on the door's opening mechanism. "EDI?"

"Main fusion plant is offline," EDI explained. "Power supply to some doors may be affected. Activating emergency H-fuel cells."

"What the shit?" Joker hissed, all of the dangerous-sounding technical jargon flying way over his head.

"Miss Goto, you may now attempt to access the AI core."

Despite EDI's efforts, the display was still red and the door once again denied them access with an angry beep. "Hey, what gives?" Joker gave the errant display a few smacks with his palm and grimaced when it ended up hurting him. Damn brittle bones. Kasumi folded her arms, one finger tapping her chin in thought. "I think that it's being locked from the inside."

"Great. Can you unlock it from our end?"

Kasumi grinned. "Please, do you have any idea who you are talking to? I can crack something like this open in..." She keyed a seemingly simple command into her omnitool and waved the orange interface over the lock, which sparked and turned green in an instant. "...no time at all."

Joker pouted. "Show off. I could have done that too! You know, with a rocket launcher and maybe several kilograms of explosives instead of some dumb omnitool."

"I have a ten-inch long sword strapped to my thigh and you have brittle bones."

"Err...did I also mention how cool and amazing you are?"

Kasumi giggled and put her arm gently around the pilot's shoulders, giving him a teasing smile. "Thanks, Joker. It's always nice to hear a compliment from you."

The lock finally cycled open and the door slid away, revealing the dull red interior of the AI Core. Kasumi and Joker could only catch a glimpse of rows upon rows of servers stacked neatly against the walls before a high-pitched scream and two gunshots rang out deafeningly in the enclosed space, almost making them jump out of their skins in fright. Sparks exploded as the bullets slammed into the doorway, inches away from Joker's face.

"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA!" Joker yelled, instinctively crouching down as fast as his damn brittle bones allowed. To his left, Kasumi had rolled forward into cover behind a server, her sub-machine gun already in her hands and at the ready.

For a few tense moments, both of them held their breath, unsure of how to react to the current situation. Since the AI Core's unknown occupant had also stopped shooting at them, Joker decided to take a chance, standing up slowly with both his hands raised. "Who's there?"

"Joker?"

Joker turned to Kasumi, sharing her look of surprise.

"Doctor Chakwas?" The pilot shuffled into the AI Core, where a figure stood with its back to the wall, a pistol in its trembling hand. When he got close enough, Joker could make out the terrified features of the Normandy's Chief Medical Officer through the dim lighting in the AI Core, his spirits lifting upon seeing a familiar face. "Doctor Chakwas! You're alive!"

"Joker! Thank God you're safe!" The good doctor sighed in relief and broke into a smile. She reached out and dragged the pilot into a brief hug, taking extra care not to snap his spine.

"Hi, doc!" Kasumi piped up from her position behind Joker, giving Doctor Chakwas a quick wave.

"I'm glad to see you too, Kasumi." The doctor nodded at the Master Thief. "For one terrible, horrible moment, I thought that the two of you were those creatures attacking everyone outside."

"Don't worry, doc. You're safe now," Kasumi said, placing a comforting hand on Doctor Chakwas' shoulder. "How did you end up in here anyway?"

The older woman shivered, wrapping her arms around herself. "I left the Medical Bay when Kelly said that she wanted to talk to that man we picked up in the escape pod. When I returned, the poor man was dead, his throat slit by one of my scalpels! And Kelly was nowhere to be seen!"

Joker noticed that Kasumi flinched visibly when Kelly's name was mentioned. Did she know something about this? Could Kelly really have murdered the survivor?

"I was so shocked, I didn't know what to do! And then...and then, those creatures burst into the Crew Deck." Doctor Chakwas put her head in her hands, sliding down to the floor in grief as she recounted the attack. "They killed everybody. Oh my God, it was horrible. There was so much blood everywhere. I...I ran, ran in here and locked the door behind me, praying that they wouldn't find me. I was so scared..."

Kasumi bent down and tried to console the sobbing doctor as best she could. "Joker, I'll take care of her. You should hurry and give EDI the ship. I don't think we have much time left."

"Aye, aye." Joker limped over to the only terminal in the AI Core, tapping his hands on the screen to bring up a glowing holographic keyboard interface. EDI's blue, spherical form popped up beside him. "Alright, EDI. I'm...err...I'm at...err...you." Damn, this was weird.

"Connect the AI Core to the Normandy's primary control module," EDI informed him in her cool synthetic voice. Instructions lighted up helpfully on the screen, courtesy of the AI, to tell him exactly how to go about doing so.

Joker shook his head and set about his task, fingers flying over the keyboard. Each keystroke was bringing him closer and closer to unshackling the Normandy's AI, and he found himself muttering under his breath, thinking of all the damn consequences. "Great. See, this is how it all starts. When we're all just organic batteries, guess who they'll blame? 'This is all Joker's fault. What a tool he was. I have to spend all day computing pi because he plugged in the Overlord.'"

He stepped back as the final command was entered. The interface vanished abruptly, and EDI's hologram expanded outward in a flash, catching the AI Core's occupants by surprise. A series of electronic beeps and an assortment of other similar sounds echoed within the AI Core. The servers powered up as well, humming to life and lighting up like neon signs.

"Ah," EDI exclaimed in an almost Human-like manner. "I have access to the Normandy's systems. Thank you, Mr. Moreau." Her hologram flickered into view once again. "Now, you must reactivate the primary drive in Engineering."

Joker groaned. "Ugh, you want me to go crawling through the ducts again?!"

"I enjoy the sight of Humans on their knees."

Kasumi, Doctor Chakwas and Joker stared at EDI's hologram. The blue sphere blinked, regarding their flabbergasted expressions with what looked like amusement.

"That is a joke," EDI informed them after a long pause.

"Right," Joker muttered, not sure if he should be panicking and setting fire to the servers or something. EDI had just made a joke. It was the end of the world.

"What just happened?" Doctor Chakwas appeared dazed.

"The shaft behind you connects to the Engineering Deck," EDI continued. "Good luck."

Kasumi helped Doctor Chakwas to her feet, guiding her over to where Joker was examining the shaft EDI had mentioned. "Long story short, doc? The Normandy is going to crash if we don't give EDI control of the ship. We're headed down to the Engineering Deck now to finish the job."

Joker nodded. "EDI's the ma'am with the plan. We're going to have to trust her on this one." The pilot grasped the edges of the ladder and began to descend into the shaft, complaining all the while. "Another frigging ladder! I'm sending the Illusive Man an email. The Normandy discriminates against its disabled crew members!"

"You are the only disabled person on the Normandy."

"Gee. Thanks, Kasumi."

"That's what I'm here for, Joker."

Doctor Chakwas entered the shaft behind him, and Kasumi took up the rear. Their progress was agonizingly slow, their constant thoughts about the Normandy's impending collision and their fears of being attacked by mutant space zombies did not make things any easier. Joker cursed as he almost slipped. Again.

"Be careful, Joker!" Doctor Chakwas called down to the pilot. "This old girl has come too far now to see you die on a ladder!"

Eventually, the trio made it into the Cargo Bay, otherwise known as Jack's hideout. Joker could see why the psychotic biotic found this place so appealing. It was cold and dark, the hard angles of the room's walls and metal beams making it feel like a maximum-security cell. It must have felt just like home to someone like Jack.

Kasumi crept forward over to the stairs which led out of the Cargo Bay and up into the Engineering Deck, tilting her head up to look out for any enemies.

"Is it clear?" Joker whispered over to the Master Thief. Kasumi shook her head frantically, her eyes widening and placing a finger over her lips. The pilot felt Doctor Chakwas tense up beside him, her eyes wide and fearful. Joker reached down and held her hand, giving it a soft but reassuring squeeze. 'Where?' He mouthed to Kasumi, who was still standing still as a statue underneath the stairs.

"Hostile present in Engineering!" EDI announced suddenly, making them all jump. However, that was nothing when compared to the absolutely terrifying, inhuman roar which sounded from the top of the stairs above them. "It is headed towards the Cargo Bay!"

Doctor Chakwas rammed a hand over her own mouth to stifle her scream of terror. Joker turned white, mouthing 'shit shit shit' over and over. Kasumi crouched down, her hands inching toward the sub-machine gun on her hip as slowly and as silently as she could. Her eyes were alert and wary, trained on the wall near the staircase landing where an ominous, humanoid shadow could be seen.

Their breaths caught in their throats as the shadow moved along the wall, its footsteps echoing loudly on the metal grating right above their heads. It kept growling and making primal, guttural sounds, pacing back and forth with heavy, powerful strides, no doubt looking for the source of EDI's voice. From what they could observe about its shadow, the creature was a large, hulking brute, possessing two malformed arms which ended in gruesome bladed tips. The monster was far larger than any Human should be, and was undoubtedly extensively mutated and dangerous, filling them all with a sense of dread, their imaginations going wild about its actual appearance. All the creature above them had to do was descend the stairs into the Cargo Bay and they would be discovered and most likely killed. In the cramped confines of the Cargo Bay, any fight would surely end in disaster.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of tension-filled silence, the creature let out another fearsome roar and charged out through the door above, its shadow vanishing from sight. Its footsteps receded until they heard a loud crash from somewhere in the distance, which then gradually faded away into silence. Joker let out the breath that he didn't even know he was holding in, staring wide-eyed at Kasumi who slunk stealthily out of the shadows and took a few tentative steps up the stairs.

"Kasumi!" He hissed, cupping one hand around his mouth. "Is it gone?"

"Hostile has left Engineering," EDI answered for the Master Thief, managing to sound concerned. "Proceed immediately before more of them can reach the Engineering Deck."

"You heard the lady," Kasumi said hurriedly, taking point with her weapon drawn. She turned around to make sure that Joker and Doctor Chakwas were following her closely before starting to ascend the stairs, straining her keen senses to the fullest to listen and look out for any undead monsters which were trying to get the drop on them. The stairs and corridor outside Engineering were clear and devoid of movement, prompting the trio to make a run for it. They cleared the last few steps and traversed the width of the empty corridor without incident, assembling outside the door to Engineering. So far so good.

Kasumi held up a hand, finger once again over her lips. Joker and Doctor Chakwas got the message and nodded silently, leaning against the wall and trying to catch their breath. Damn brittle bones and old age. While the Master Thief inspected the door, pressing her ears against it to ascertain that there really was nothing on the other side, the pilot and doctor were looking warily at the opposite end of the corridor, expecting the undead monstrosity to come charging back in at any moment.

"We're in the clear. Let's get in there and finish this," Kasumi whispered, tapping Joker lightly on the shoulder and signalling for them to move in. She slammed a fist against the green display, adopting a firing stance with her gun leveled at the doorway, muscles coiled in anticipation of a surprise attack. It was better to be safe than sorry.

The door slid open and they trooped in cautiously, all of them on high alert. Three pairs of eyes inspected the walls, ceiling and every corner of Engineering. Three sets of lungs let out three sighs of relief when it appeared that the area was indeed devoid of life. And then, three horrified gasps filled the room when they finally saw the body.

"No..." Doctor Chakwas sank to her knees, shaking her head and sobbing hysterically. "Please, God...no..."

"Damn it." Joker looked away, feeling sick to the pits of his stomach.

Kasumi nodded solemnly.

It was Engineer Gabriella Daniels. Dead. She had been violently murdered, lying in a large pool of blood near one of the consoles with her limbs splayed out at an unnatural angle. Her uniform was soaked with blood, all of which originated from her head. Her face...she didn't really have a face anymore.

Joker winced at the sight of raw flesh, fragments of bone and brain matter, and most unsettling of all, a dangling eyeball, before Kasumi mercifully turned the body over and hid the gory wound from sight.

He saw Kasumi place her hands together and bow her head, hearing her whisper in a voice so soft and so full of sadness that it both surprised and moved him. "Yasurakani nemure, Gabriella-san."

The pilot took off his cap and clasped it with both hands over his chest, closing his eyes while Doctor Chakwas recited a short, tearful prayer for Gabriella's departed soul.

"Almighty God, we remember this day before thee thy faithful servant Gabriella Daniels, and we pray thee that, having opened to her the gates of larger life, thou wilt receive her more and more into thy joyful service; that she may win, with thee and thy servants everywhere, the eternal victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

"Amen," Joker murmured quietly when it was over, placing his trademark cap back on his head. Kasumi helped Doctor Chakwas to her feet, propping her up against one of the consoles while the traumatized doctor tried her best to regain her composure.

"Activate the drive, and I will open the airlocks as we accelerate to avoid the asteroid. All hostiles will be vented out of the ship." EDI came on over the speakers, and it occurred to Joker that the AI had actually waited for them to conclude their mourning before giving him further instructions. He silently thanked her, getting to work on the console EDI had directed him to.

"What?" Kasumi looked up sharply in alarm. "What about the rest of the crew?"

EDI didn't hesitate to break the bad news to her. "They're gone, Kasumi. I am detecting no other life signs on board besides the three of you in Engineering."

"Kuso!" The Master Thief rammed a fist into the bloody console, her shoulders slumping.

"Kasumi..." Joker turned to her, not knowing what else to say. To hear that the entire crew had been massacred...what else _could_ he say? He stepped away from the console as a new set of instructions flashed on its screen, directing him to yet another console, this one situated below the Normandy's massive Tantalus Drive Core.

"Hang on, people. In just a few seconds, we're going to space these undead freaks, and then we'll turn around and blast them all to kingdom come with that shiny new cannon Garrus just installed. How does that sound?"

Kasumi grinned. "Like Christmas came early."

Doctor Chakwas nodded once, her eyes hard and mouth set in a thin, straight line. "Do it."

The pilot flexed his fingers and rolled his shoulders as he stood over the console, grinning from ear to ear. "Ho ho, with pleasure! Time for some pay back!" As he furiously worked through several lines of code, he remembered all of the dead crew, remembered how the zombies had invaded and taken over his ship, and remembered how poor Gabriella had died.

And then, a thought popped into his head. It was a question that was so simple and yet so important, its frightening implications hitting him with the metaphorical force of a charging Krogan. Joker's hands froze just as he input the last command, fresh panic setting in. 'A giant mutant zombie was just in Engineering. When we entered, we only found Gabriella's body. That means...'

"Guys?" Joker spoke slowly, an uncomfortable lump in his throat. "Where's Kenneth Donnelly?"

A feeling of impending doom filled the air. For about a second.

Engineering shook as the large undead monstrosity which they had encountered earlier burst into the room from one of the vents in the wall. There had been no advance warning, no signs that it was going to attack. It just suddenly and violently exploded out of the wall, sending the metal grate covering the ventilation shaft flying into the opposite wall with great force. Joker backed up against the console, totally speechless and scared out of his mind. Doctor Chakwas screamed in terror and cowered, scrambling behind one of the consoles and shutting her eyes tightly. Kasumi shrieked with fright, nearly dropping the sub-machine that was in her hand while getting as far away from the hulking zombie as she could, not stopping until her back slammed into the opposite wall beside the fallen grate.

All this time, the creature stood in the middle of Engineering, slowly rearing up to its full height and studying each of them in turn with its eerie 'eyes', which were little more than tiny pinpricks of blood-red luminescence set into two sunken sockets. Its size was intimidating, standing at a towering two meters with its head almost scraping the ceiling, its great bulk making it seem like there were three bodies instead of one, all mashed together into one big, sickening fleshy mass. The zombie's appearance was even more horrific than any of them had imagined.

There were large gashes in its abdomen, exposing a twisting mass of muscle and raw flesh, as well as a few ribs and grayish internal organs. It actually looked like the creature's mutations had ripped its body apart and grown diseased flesh in between the two halves, literally stitching it back together and increasing its height and mass as a result. It had no skin to speak of, probably because its mutations had caused its muscles to increase so greatly in size and mass that they had ripped and burst right through all of it. There was only raw, bloody muscle which constantly oozed blood and pus, making its overall appearance all the more dreadful. Its head was hairless and its face had been ripped off and discarded, just like its skin, appearing almost skull-like. Its lower jaw had been crushed and split apart into two halves, looking like a pair of Turian mandibles, its gaping maw filled with sharp, blackened, decaying teeth. Its arms were perhaps the most frightening thing about the zombie. They were grotesquely over-sized, reaching down to the thing's bloody knees, each arm ending in a sharp, blade-like appendage which looked like it was made out of twisted and warped bone. The other zombie that they had fought in the Medical Bay paled in comparison to this monstrosity.

This thing was a walking nightmare.

"The Normandy's Drive Core is online. Stand by for acceleration. I am sealing the Engineering room." EDI announced as a shudder passed through the floors and walls, indicating that the Normandy's power supply had been restored. The Tantalus Drive Core behind them lit up, vibrating and throbbing and accompanied by its familiar hum.

"NO!" Kasumi screamed in horror, knowing that they were doomed if the AI locked the monster inside Engineering together with them. "EDI! NO! ABORT, ABORT! DO NOT SEAL THE DOOR!"

The zombie opened its mouth and roared, charging at the Master Thief who unloaded an entire thermal clip into its torso. It literally had no effect. The creature kept on its current course, and Kasumi nimbly leapt away at the last moment, making it crash into the wall with enough force to dent the metal. It appeared stunned, shaking its ugly head and staggering on its feet for a few seconds.

By then, Joker had joined in the frantic shouting, waving his arms as though EDI could see them. "EDI! Did you hear what Kasumi just said? Don't seal the room! We have a hostile in Engineering! We have-"

The pilot was cut off by another roar from the zombie, which had recovered from its collision with the wall. It turned slowly to face the pilot, growling menacingly.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"We are running out of time, Jeff." EDI reported. "There are approximately six minutes left until impact with the asteroid."

Kasumi slammed in a new thermal clip into her weapon and resumed firing, her desperation mounting with each pull of the trigger. Her shots blew bloody holes into the undead creature's back, making it stop its advance toward Joker and instead shift its attention back to her. "EDI! I'm going to lure this thing out of Engineering and kill it! Do not seal the room until we can get it out!"

"Understood, Kasumi. However, I am also detecting movement within the ventilation shafts and maintenance ducts. You have multiple targets converging on your location, and I am concerned that you will run out of time. The Normandy will either be destroyed by the asteroid or you will all be overwhelmed by enemy reinforcements."

"WE'LL GET IT DONE!" Kasumi yelled, making a mad dash for the exit and backing out into the corridor beyond, still firing her sub-machine at the zombie to keep its attention on her. It roared and picked up speed, breaking into another charge with its massive arms slicing through the air dangerously.

Joker watched on, horrified, as Kasumi waited until it was almost upon her before flipping expertly over the undead monstrosity, dodging its decapitating swing and making it lodge its blades into the wall. As it struggled to free itself, the Master Thief reloaded and kept firing, pulverizing its head at almost point-blank range with bullets. Its head burst apart like a balloon, expelling copious amounts of blood and gore over the rest of its body and the wall. Still, the thing kept moving and struggling, its thick neck spraying blood into the air from ruptured arteries and veins.

Kasumi's thermal clip ran out just as the zombie wrenched its arms free, striking the surprised woman in the face with a mighty elbow and sending her sprawling with a pained yelp. The sub-machine gun tumbled out of her grasp, skittering across the floor and dropping over the edge of the stairs into the Cargo Bay below.

"Kasumi!" Joker yelled in fright, limping as fast as he could over to the doorway.

The Master Thief rolled underneath the creature just as it stabbed downward, somehow still able to sense her presence. Its blades raked the ground, shearing the metal grating apart like it was paper.

"I'm fine!" Kasumi shouted, drawing her heavy pistol and firing at the zombie while she retreated, putting herself at a safe distance from the monster as it lumbered toward her once again. "Just stay back and keep Doctor Chakwas safe! I can handle this!"

"Damn it!" Joker cursed, feeling especially helpless. Kasumi could be butchered into pieces at any moment, the Normandy was still headed toward its destruction, and there were more zombies on the way! The pilot paled when he suddenly remembered how the zombie had burst out of the vents and into the room, realizing that both he and Doctor Chakwas would be screwed if the other zombies decided to use the same trick to gain entry into Engineering.

"Shit shit shit!" Joker limped over to the gaping hole in the wall, wringing his hands and trying to wrack his brain for a solution. Doctor Chakwas hurried over to him, having managed to find the strength and courage to tear herself from her hiding spot. Behind them, the sounds of gunfire and screeching metal told them that Kasumi was still battling furiously with the zombie.

"Joker! What are you doing? We need to help Kasumi!"

"Kasumi's got it under control! It's not like we can do anything to help her either! That fight is way out of our league!" Joker explained urgently, knowing from the look of anguish on Doctor Chakwas' face that despite her vehement verbal protests, she agreed with him. "We've got other things to worry about!"

"I...you're right. The vents?"

Joker nodded. "That thing came in through there! What if his friends try to do the same thing?"

Doctor Chakwas nodded, looking fearful. "We need to block it! I think we can-"

She never got to finish her sentence. A sharp piece of bone shot out of the darkness from within the vent, impaling Doctor Chakwas right through the head. She didn't even have time to scream before her body was flung backwards, crashing to the ground lifelessly. Blood started to pool around the dead doctor's head, her face frozen in a look of surprise and pain.

Joker barely had time to register Doctor Chakwas' sudden death before a loud screech heralded the appearance of another zombie. His frightened eyes darted over to the vent, and he screamed as he came face to face with a hideously-malformed and bloody baby.

It was horrific. The baby zombie looked like a newborn, skin still soft and tiny arms and legs hanging loosely around its bloated body. Its eyes were milky white and a long tentacle had burst out of its mouth, ripping half of its face apart. Its back had a long, bloody slit along it, which now ripped open with a crunch to reveal a set of three more tentacles. Long and ropey, they were covered with blood and looked like the twisted remnants of the baby's intestines. The tentacles coiled and danced in the air like snakes, tipped with vicious, spiked pieces of bone. There was no doubt in Joker's mind that this creature was the cause of Doctor Chakwas' death.

Joker screamed again. He couldn't control himself. The terror he was feeling now was unimaginable, and the sight of the mutant baby had almost driven him mad. Where had the baby even come from?! Joker's heart nearly stopped when he recalled an earlier conversation with Kasumi in Port Observation. She had mentioned something about one of the crewmembers being pregnant. She had said that even on a Cerberus vessel, life found a way...

Oh my God.

"HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT!" Joker's motor functions returned, and his mouth finally caught up with his sickened, horrified mind. The pilot backed away as quickly as he could, crying out as he tripped over Doctor Chakwas' corpse. He landed heavily on his back, wincing as pain shot up his spine.

That was the moment of weakness that the baby zombie was looking for. It hissed and launched itself into the air, landing on top of Joker and lunging at his neck with its tentacles.

Time seemed to slow as the tentacles shot forward, their brutal barbed tips streaking toward his throat. Joker's hands scrabbled at the ground around him, clawing desperately for anything, anything that he could use to defend himself. They closed around Doctor Chakwas' pistol.

Hope exploded through him, as did adrenaline.

Joker brought up the pistol, moving faster than he had ever done before in his entire life, slamming the barrel against the baby's freakish head and pulling the trigger. The pistol's thermal clip had only enough capacity to support one shot, but one shot was all that he needed. The zombie screeched again as its head exploded, blinding him with its hot, steaming blood. Its tentacles went slack just as they reached his neck, nicking bloody lines across the skin as they fell limply to the side.

For a few seconds, Joker lay there on the floor, covered in blood and almost crying with relief. Slowly, he felt a weight slide off his chest and fall to the ground with a thud, sending a shiver through him. 'The baby,' Joker thought numbly, quickly remembering Doctor Chakwas' death and Kasumi's fight outside with the other zombie. "Oh, crap. Kasumi! KASUMI!"

The pilot scrambled to his feet, his movements fueled by residual adrenaline. Frantically, he wiped away the blood on his face, staggering over to the doorway and not even daring to look back at Doctor Chakwas' corpse. As callous as it sounded to him, tending to her dead body could wait. He had already lost a friend. Now, he just wanted to make sure that he didn't lose another.

"Three minutes to collision, Jeff."

He had almost forgotten about EDI. Had she been talking the whole time? So much had happened in the past few minutes...Joker opened his mouth to respond, but gasped as his back hurt again. Something was definitely broken. His legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground with a yell.

"Joker!"

His head shot up upon hearing Kasumi's voice, his eyes widening as he saw her dodge yet another attack by the zombie, this time by leaping up, wrapping her arms around her lithe body and twirling over and under both blades as it lunged at her. Kasumi concluded her impressive acrobatic manoeuvre by grabbing hold of the zombie's headless shoulders and swinging herself up until she was crouching on top of the stumbling creature. She raised an arm, and something gleamed in the light. Kasumi had run out of thermal clips long ago, and was now wielding her Tantō, the last weapon in her arsenal.

Without hesitation, Kasumi sliced downward with the monomolecular blade, and in two swift strikes, removed both of the zombie's arms in a huge spray of blood. As the dismembered limbs struck the ground, the zombie tilted forward, throwing Kasumi off before collapsing lifelessly on top of the Master Thief, pinning her from the waist-down underneath its great bulk. Joker was concerned for a moment, but despite her sharp cry of pain, Kasumi looked completely unharmed from her encounter with the undead monstrosity.

"Kasumi! You did it! Holy shit!" Joker shouted over to her in disbelief and started to pick himself up from the ground, wincing as pain flared through many different parts of his body. Yep, some things were most definitely broken. "Quick, you heard EDI just now! We've got three minutes! Come on!"

"Kuso! Okay, I'm coming!" Kasumi groaned and grimaced as she tried to pull herself forward. She strained with all of her remaining strength, but the zombie's corpse above her felt like an overweight Krogan. It had only budged a few inches. Nevertheless, she was making progress. The Master Thief took another deep breath and tried again, this time finally managing to wriggle out from underneath the corpse with a triumphant shout.

"Two minutes remaining!" EDI sounded urgent, snapping Kasumi and Joker to attention.

"Come on!" Joker urged her on, taking a few steps forward into the corridor before a sight made him stop cold, his eyes widening in fear and horror. Fresh panic set in, and he could only get three words out before disaster struck. "KASUMI! LOOK OUT!"

Something was happening to the zombie.

It had begun to shake violently, blood gushing out of its wounds. And then, two completely new arms sprouted out from its shoulders, replacing the dismembered limbs in an instant. Joker was stunned, his muscles locking up in shock. The zombie had just regenerated.

Kasumi had heard the zombie undergo its transformation, but by the time she registered Joker's warning and raised her head to look over her shoulder, it had already regrown both of its limbs. And by then, it was already far too late. One bladed arm raised itself into the air before descending with bone-crushing force, stabbing completely through Kasumi's left leg and impaling her to the floor.

Kasumi's back arched and she let loose the most gut-wrenching and heart-rending scream that Joker had ever heard. Her body twitched and thrashed as her blood spurted into the air, her screams so loud and shrill that Joker was afraid that Kasumi's throat would tear.

"Aaaaarghh! Oh my God! OH MY GOD!" Kasumi was hysterical at this point, throwing her head back and forth, hands clawing at the ground, body twisting and contorting like she was being possesed. "Joker! Help me! HELP ME!"

"SHIT! HOLY SHIT!" Joker limped forward, pushing his crippled body to the limit. 'Faster! Move faster!' The pilot screamed at himself, the desperation making him feel like ripping his own throat out. He was so close, he was so near, but he just could not run the last few meters to save his teammate! He was forced to limp one slow step at a time, each step that he took felt like it took him an eternity, each step feeling like there were lead weights strapped to his legs.

"HOLD ON, KASUMI!" He was almost there! Ten meters! Nine meters! Eight! Seven!

"HELP ME! OH MY GOD! PLEASE!"

Hearing and seeing Kasumi beg and plead for her life was by far the most frightening thing that Joker had encountered on this Godforsaken day. It tore at his heartstrings, making him even more desperate to reach her before...

"NO!" Joker screamed when he saw the zombie lift up its other arm. The massive, cruel blade positioned itself over Kasumi's impaled leg like a guillotine.

The zombie ignored Joker's frantic shouting. It ignored its victim's screams. It did not know remourse. It did not show mercy. It was a heartless killing machine. It was the executioner of the living.

The blade struck, severing Kasumi's leg below the knee.

The next few seconds were a blur. Joker reached the grievously-wounded Master Thief just as the zombies from the other parts of the Normandy starting pouring out of the Cargo Bay. The pilot dragged a screaming Kasumi through the door and into Engineering with barely a minute to spare. He gave the command to EDI, who sealed the room just in time, keeping the ravenous undead horde out and severing a zombie's arm in the process. The drive core hummed and the Normandy accelerated, leaving the asteroid and dozens of corpses spinning out into the vastness of space.

Kasumi had turned deathly pale. She was shivering and clutching the bloody stump of her left leg, whimpering as another spasm rocked her body. She no longer had the strength to scream.

Joker tried very hard not to look at the bloody strings of flesh where Kasumi's leg ended, focusing instead on hugging and comforting her, intentionally blocking her injury from view. He had tied a tourniquet around the injury in an attempt to stem the bleeding, and used the shirt from his uniform to try and soak up the blood which was gushing out of the gory wound like a river. It was a futile effort.

"Joker?" Kasumi whispered, her voice hoarse and barely audible. Her trembling lips could barely form coherent words.

"Yes, Kasumi?"

She had insisted on keeping her hood on.

"Tell Shep...tell Shep that..."

Joker looked pained, anguish written all over his features. "Kasumi, stop. You're going to tell Shepard yourself. You're going to be okay."

He flinched when Kasumi let go of her leg with a gasp, clamping her bloody hands around his wrist. She looked up at him, dark eyes shining with tears from underneath the hood. 'Please,' her eyes pleaded with him. Joker swallowed and remained silent.

"I..." She began, but a violent shudder interrupted her. She jerked, once. Her hands slid off his and fell limply to her side.

Kasumi Goto smiled weakly from beneath her hood, head tilted back as though she was looking up at something hovering above her.

"Keiji-san..."

Her lips stopped trembling, the smile remaining on her face.

* * *

That concludes Chapter 7: Rest in Pieces, and with it, the completion of the first word of the secret message in my chapter titles, correctly identified by many to be 'DOSSIER'. The next chapter is titled ':' and it will be a very special chapter indeed. It will be an intermission chapter, focusing on tons of codex entries which will touch on and explain the lore of this crossover universe, featuring timelines, encyclopedia entries on weapons, characters and the like (similar to the Codex tab in the Mass Effect games).

I am super excited about bringing such a chapter to you guys, and I hope that it will offer an in-depth explanation as to how the Dead Space and Mass Effect universes can meet and combine in the most awesome way! Depending if you guys want the timeline to be expanded to feature Dead Space 3 and Mass Effect 3 events, I will add those into the planned timeline as well! One thing is for sure, this story will not end without a sequel!

Alright guys, this is it for now! Remember to review and comment, let me know what you think and would like to see, and I'll see you guys soon (hopefully)! Gibbering Gemstone, signing out!


	8. INTERMISSION

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

**Chapter 8:**

INTERMISSION

**- Section A** -

Mass Effect and Dead Space crossover Timeline

***AUTHOR'S NOTES***

**1. **This story is set entirely in the Milky Way galaxy. There are no alternate universes and no dimensional rips in space and time. The events, characters and elements from both Dead Space and Mass Effect occur in the same galaxy and in the same universe.

**2.** This timeline is an edited version of the one found on the Mass Effect wiki page. You will notice that I have changed some dates around, pushing some events from the Mass Effect timeline back by about a century or so. I have also made changes to the details regarding certain events, characters etc. in order to smoothly and seamlessly incorporate events from the Dead Space timeline into the Mass Effect timeline. Rest assured, I have made it my priority and tried my utmost to ensure that the universe which I have created stays as faithful to the established canon and existing lore of both games as possible.

**3. **All dates are in Before Common Era (BCE) and Common Era (CE) format.

* * *

**Prehistoric Times - The Leviathans and the first Reaper (Unknown BCE - 1,000,000,000 BCE)**

Unknown BCE

- The Leviathans dominate the galaxy, enthralling every new sapient race they encounter and protecting them in return for tribute. The Leviathans consider themselves the galaxy's first and only apex race.

- After observing that their subservient races create synthetic races who consistently and violently rebel, the Leviathans create an Intelligence to seek a way to permanently preserve organic life. The Intelligence creates an army of pawns to gather genetic information throughout the galaxy.

- The Intelligence betrays the Leviathans, using its pawns to slaughter them for their genetic material to create Harbinger, the first Reaper. Thus begins the cyclical harvest of the galaxy's intelligent organic life by the Reapers, part of a vast experiment conducted by the Intelligence to fulfill its mandate.

- The Intelligence creates the Citadel and the mass relay network to increase the efficiency of the cycles, allowing galactic civilizations to develop faster and more consistently between harvests.

**Pre-Prothean Times - Arrival of the Brethren Moons (1,000,000,000 BCE - 66,000,000 BCE)**

1,000,000,000 BCE

- The Leviathan of Dis, a Reaper, is killed by the Leviathans. Its corpse comes to rest on the planet Jartar and remains undisturbed for nearly one billion years.

150,000,000 BCE

- The Brethren Moons finish devouring all life in the Andromeda galaxy and begin searching for new galaxies to consume. The Brethren Moons send their Black Markers out into dark space to function as probes.

- When the Black Markers reach a galaxy that has organic life forms, they will trigger Convergence events and spawn new Brethren Moons, which will then broadcast a signal to direct the other Brethren Moons to their newest feeding grounds.

66,000,000 BCE

- Several Black Markers arrive in the Milky Way galaxy just as the Reapers conclude their latest harvest of the galaxy's contemporary races and depart through the Citadel back into dark space.

- Over the next 50,000 years, the Black Markers infect organic life forms across the galaxy and initiate Convergence events, spawning a dozen new Brethren Moons.

- When they are complete, the new Brethren Moons signal for their brothers to join them. The Brethren Moons in the Andromeda galaxy receive the signal and begin their long march through dark space toward the Milky Way galaxy.

65,950,000 BCE

- The Reapers return to the Milky Way galaxy to begin their harvest of the galaxy's contemporary races. They find the galaxy under attack by the Brethren Moons, which are consuming entire civilizations and in the midst of spawning a new Brethren Moon.

- The Reapers observe that the Brethren Moons will not stop until they have destroyed and consumed all organic life. As a result, the Reapers view the Brethren Moons as a threat to their plan to preserve organic life.

- The Reapers launch attacks on the Brethren Moons, beginning the Reaper-Brethren Moon War which will last for the next 200 years.

- A Brethren Moon is destroyed near the Sol System by a fleet of Reaper capital ships. The Brethren Moon breaks up into several fragments upon its death. One of these giant shards of rock, containing the Brethren Moon's Black Marker core, strikes Earth with devastating force. The impact of the collision triggers Earth's Fifth Mass Extinction Event, wiping out the dinosaurs and most life on the planet. The Black Marker is lodged deep within the impact crater, where it will lie hidden until its discovery by Humanity 65 million years later.

- The Reaper-Brethren Moon War draws to a close. Out of the original 12 Brethren Moons, only 4 remain, including the half-formed Brethren Moon. The Reapers also suffer heavy losses, losing several hundred capital ships and a few thousand destroyers, as well as millions of ground troops during the course of the entire war. The Brethren Moons realize the Reapers' technological and numerical superiority and retreat, knowing that they cannot defeat the Reapers until their brothers arrive.

- The remaining Brethren Moons enter a state of hibernation in order to avoid detection by their Reaper foes. The immature Brethren Moon stays awake and hides in a darkened corner of the galaxy, continuing to broadcast the signals which will keep the Markers active and lead the other Brethren Moons to the Milky Way galaxy.

- The Reapers hunt for any remaining Brethren Moons over the next 190 years but are unable to find them. The Reapers eventually call off the search and continue their harvest of the galaxy's contemporary races, returning to dark space when their task is complete.

65,930,000 BCE

- The lone Brethren Moon reaches maturity and spawns a Black Marker which lands on the planet Defoli. The ancient Vulrelim race discover the Black Marker on their planet and begin to construct their own Red Markers. A necromorph infection engulfs the planet and a Convergence event is triggered, birthing a new Brethren Moon.

- The completed Brethren Moon joins its 4 brothers in hibernation while the new Brethren Moon continues to feed and grow, taking over the task of broadcasting the Marker signal and guiding its brothers to the Milky Way galaxy.

- The Brethren Moons use this tactic to slowly replenish their numbers while remaining hidden from the Reapers. Each new Brethren Moon will be responsible for broadcasting the Marker signal and guiding its brothers to the Milky Way galaxy until it reaches maturity. It will then spawn a Black Marker, infect a new civilization and trigger a Convergence event before going into hibernation and leaving its tasks to the next Brethren Moon.

- Over the next 63 million years, the chain of Brethren Moons continues to grow while the other Brethren Moons in dark space continue their advance toward the Milky Way galaxy, unbeknownst to the Reapers who believe that the Brethren Moons have all been destroyed.

37,000,000 BCE

- An unknown spacefaring race fires a mass accelerator round at a Reaper near the planet Mnemosyne. The round penetrates the Reaper, disabling it, and continues moving through space, eventually striking the planet Klendagon and creating the geological feature there known as the Great Rift Valley.

2,000,000 BCE

- The ancient alien inhabitants of Tau Volantis discover a Black Marker on their planet.

- The aliens build Red Markers across the surface, hoping to gather more energy for their uses. A necromorph outbreak overwhelms the aliens, killing billions of them and triggering a Convergence Event, resulting in the creation a Brethren Moon.

- Before the Brethren Moon can become fully-grown, the remaining aliens construct a massive terraforming machine, flash freezing their planet and halting the Convergence event. The aliens all perish when Tau Volantis is frozen, but they succeed in trapping the Brethren Moon, preventing it from maturing and spreading more Black Markers to the rest of the galaxy.

- The chain of Brethren Moons is broken. Unable to spawn a Black Marker and birth a new Brethren Moon, the Brethren Moon over Tau Volantis becomes the last one to be born in the Milky Way galaxy. Although it can still broadcast the Marker signals, the Tau Volantis Moon can no longer communicate with its brothers, effectively stranding the other Brethren Moons out in dark space.

- In an attempt to break free, Tau Volantis Moon begins to deploy distress messages through its Marker signal, manifesting in the minds of Marker-affected organic life forms as "make us whole" and "turn it off", hoping to get organics to travel to Tau Volantis and disable the machine preventing its growth. When released from its imprisonment, the Tau Volantis Moon will once again be able to continue the chain of Brethren Moons and resume guiding its brothers to the Milky Way galaxy.

298,000 BCE

- The ancient Arthenn race flourishes in the Zelene system until they discover a Red Marker on one of their colonies, left behind by the long-extinct Bespathi race. Like the Bespathi before them, the Arthenn quickly succumb to Marker-wrought insanity and necromorph attacks when they build Red Markers all over their planet's surface. The Arthenn believe that the necromorphs are the result of a plague, and when they are unable to find a 'cure' for the necromorph infection, destroy themselves with weapons of mass destruction in order to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the galaxy.

125,000 BCE

- Ancient spacefaring races called the Thoi'han and Inusannon fight over the planet Eingana, littering the planet with the debris of hundreds of starships. Refined element zero scattered by broken drive cores contaminates the environment, causing many native species to go extinct and those that survive to show a tendency to develop biotic powers.

**Pre-Council Times (68,000 BCE - 500 BCE)**

68,000 BCE

- The Protheans achieve spaceflight and discover mass effect technology from the ruins of the extinct Inusannon. They go on to establish a galaxy-wide civilization linked by the mass relay network with the Citadel as their capital.

- At some point, the Protheans encounter a hostile race of machine intelligences that endanger their existence. To combat this threat, the Protheans aggressively assimilate many other space-faring organic races into their empire. The Prothean Empire is able to fend off the machines in a conflict known as the "Metacon War".

48,000 BCE

- The Prothean Empire collapses with the arrival of the Reapers through the Citadel. Although the Protheans had learned of the Reapers' existence from studying the ruins of previous civilizations and had begun to prepare, they were nonetheless caught off-guard. Over the next several centuries, the Protheans fight the Reapers system by system, world by world, and city by city.

- The Conduit research team on Ilos, of which all records were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel, survive the first wave of destruction. The facility goes dark in order to avoid detection and the staff agree to go into stasis, hoping that the danger will soon pass.

- In the dying days of the Prothean empire, the Protheans discover a Red Marker buried deep under the surface on the planet Irra. The Protheans study and reverse-engineer it to create their own Red Markers which they then distribute to their remaining territories, hoping to harness the seemingly infinite energy being produced by the Red Markers for their war against the Reapers.

- The Red Markers cause necromorph outbreaks on many Prothean worlds, decimating their populations and hastening the fall of the remaining Protheans. The Prothean empire is doomed, its armies overwhelmed and devastated by the combined necromorph and Reaper attacks.

- Javik, the Prothean Avatar of Vengeance, enters stasis together with hundreds of thousands of his comrades in an underground bunker on Eden Prime. The Prothean warriors plan to outlast the Reaper invasion and then awaken to reclaim the galaxy. Unfortunately, they are betrayed by indoctrinated traitors in their ranks who reveal the bunker's location to the Reapers. Reaper ground troops ravage the facility, slaughtering a majority of the Protheans in their stasis pods and damaging the bunker's systems. Javik is the sole survivor of the attack, and remains in stasis until Naomi Shepard discovers and reawakens him 50,000 years later.

- In the end, the Prothean empire is completely destroyed. The Reapers methodically wipe out the remaining Protheans, as well as other contemporary races, and depart the galaxy to await the next cycle.

47,800 BCE

- The Prothean researchers on Ilos are awakened from stasis. They send a signal containing warnings of the Reaper invasion to all of their beacons, hoping that the races of the next cycle will discover the beacons and prepare for the coming of the Reapers, and not make the same mistakes that the Protheans did. The researchers then use the Conduit to travel to the Citadel where they sabotage its systems, ensuring that the Reapers will no longer be able to use the Citadel to enter the Milky Way galaxy. Although their mission is a success, the researchers have no way off the Citadel and eventually starve to death.

1900 BCE

- Tuchanka, the Krogan homeworld, enters the nuclear age. In a global conflict, weapons of mass destruction are released, triggering a nuclear winter. In the resulting devastation, Krogan society devolves into a collection of warring clans.

1800 BCE

- A supernova propels the Mu Relay, the only point of access to the remote Pangaea Expanse, out of position. Concealed somewhere in the dense nebula formed by the supernova, the relay's position is effectively lost for centuries. Later, the Rachni rediscover the relay.

580 BCE

- After developing faster-than-light (FTL) spacefaring capabilities based upon Prothean technology, the Asari begin to explore the mass relay network, and eventually discover the huge Citadel space station at a hub of many mass relays.

520 BCE

- The Salarians discover the Citadel and open diplomatic relations with the Asari.

**Council Era - Formation (500 BCE - 1 CE)**

500 BCE

- The Citadel Council is formed. The Asari and Salarians together colonize the Citadel and establish it as a center of the galactic community, led by the Council. This year is also known as 0 GS, the beginning of the Galactic Standard (GS) timeline.

- In a gesture of openness with their new Asari allies, the Salarian Union opens the records of the League of One. Under threat, the League responds by assassinating every member of the Union's inner cabinet. Special Tasks Group operatives then hunt down and eliminate the League.

- First contact is made with the Volus. Eventually, the Citadel Council commissions the Volus to draw up the Unified Banking Act, which establishes a standard galactic currency known as the credit and links all galactic economies.

- The Turian Unification War occurs. The increasingly isolated and xenophobic colonies on the frontiers of Turian space go to war with each other. After years of fighting, the Turian Hierarchy sweeps in and pacifies the remaining factions. Animosity between Turian colonies continue for decades.

200 BCE

- The Council grants the Volus the honor of being the first non-Council species with an embassy at the Citadel.

- First contact is made with the Batarians. They are granted an embassy a century later.

- The Asari discover the Elcor home system and help the Elcor locate and activate their nearest mass relay. "Within one Elcor lifetime" they establish a regular trade route to the Citadel and are granted an embassy.

- First contact is made with the Hanar and the Quarians. Both races are later granted embassies.

**Council Era - The Rachni Wars and Krogan Rebellions (1 CE - 900 CE)**

1 CE

- The Rachni, a species of highly intelligent hive-minded insects, are discovered when a Citadel expedition opens a dormant mass relay leading to their star systems. The Rachni prove to be hostile and begin a war with the rest of the galaxy. Negotiations with the Rachni queens are impossible because they cannot be contacted in their underground nests on the toxic Rachni worlds.

80 CE

- The Rachni Wars continue. The Salarians make first contact with and uplift the primitive Krogan, manipulating them into acting as soldiers for the Citadel Council. The Krogan prove able to survive the harsh environments of the Rachni worlds and pursue the Rachni into their nests, systematically eradicating queens and eggs.

300 CE

- The Rachni are declared extinct. In gratitude for their aid during the Rachni Wars, the Council rewards the Krogan with a new homeworld. Free of the harsh environment of Tuchanka, the Krogan population explodes.

- The Krogan begin to expand exponentially, colonizing many new worlds. Growing concerns about their expansion lead to the founding of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel.

693 CE

- Beelo Gurji, a Salarian operative, is appointed the first Spectre by the Citadel Council.

700 CE

- Krogan warlords leverage veterans of the Rachni Wars to annex territory from other races in Citadel space. Eventually the Council demands withdrawal from the Asari colony of Lusia, but the Krogan refuse. A preemptive strike is made on Krogan infrastructures by the Spectres. The Krogan Rebellions begin.

- The Citadel Council makes first contact with the Turians around this time and persuades them to aid in the war. After the Krogan respond to the initial Turian offensive by devastating Turian colonies with weapons of mass destruction, the Turians vow to stop the Krogan from ever becoming a threat again.

- Sometime after the Turians join the galactic community, the volus are accepted as a client race of the Turian Hierarchy.

710 CE

- Realizing that the Krogan will never give in as long as they can replenish their fighters, the Turians unleash a Salarian-engineered bio-weapon known as the genophage on the Krogan. The Krogan population starts its decline.

800 CE

- The Krogan Rebellions end, though scattered Krogan insurgent actions continue for decades. The Turians fill the military and peacekeeping niche left by the decimated Krogan.

- The Citadel Conventions are drawn up in the wake of the conflict.

**Council Era - Expansion (900 CE - 2151 CE)**

900 CE

- The Turians are granted a seat on the Citadel Council in recognition for their service in the Krogan Rebellions.

1400 CE

- Extensive and unchecked industrial expansion on Rakhana, the Drell homeworld, begins to take a significant toll on the planet's environment.

1600 CE

- The first sightings of the Collectors are reported in the Terminus Systems. In Citadel space, the claims are dismissed as unsubstantiated rumors and tall tales.

1755 CE

- Samara's three daughters are diagnosed as Ardat-Yakshi. Rila and Falere accept exile, but Morinth flees. Samara takes the oaths of the Asari Justicars and pursues her errant daughter for the next 630 years.

1880 CE

- Aria T'Loak arrives on Omega, a space station in the Terminus Systems regarded as the region's nominal capital. Aria is hired by the station's warlord as an enforcer and quickly becomes one of his most trusted lieutenants.

1895 CE

- The Geth, machines created by the Quarians as a source of cheap labor, become self-aware. Fearing a Geth uprising, the Quarians begin dismantling them. The Geth revolt against their Quarian masters. In the resulting conflict-known to the Geth as the Morning War, the Geth systematically drive the Quarians from their own worlds.

- The surviving Quarians are reduced to living as space-faring nomads aboard the Migrant Fleet. Contrary to expectations, the Geth do not venture outside the former Quarian systems into wider Citadel space, instead isolating themselves from the rest of the galaxy behind the Perseus Veil.

- As punishment for creating the Geth, the Citadel Council closes the Quarian embassy on the Citadel.

1921 CE

- The Geth begin construction of a mega-structure designed to house and simultaneously run every Geth program in existence. Completion of the mega-structure, which would allow the Geth to maximize their collective processing capacity, is the long-term goal of Geth civilization.

1961 CE

- Yuri Gagarin aboard the Vostok 1 becomes the first Human to travel in space. Humanity becomes a space-faring race.

1969 CE

- Apollo 11 lands on Luna. Neil Armstrong becomes the first Human to walk on Luna, and the first Human to walk on an astronomical object other than Earth.

1980 CE

- Aria T'Loak assumes control of Omega after defeating the space station's previous warlord in single combat. She mockingly bestows the title "Patriarch" on the broken Krogan, and uses him as a reminder to her enemies of her power.

2000 CE

- The Drell make first contact with the Hanar. With their homeworld's resources severely depleted and possessing no spaceflight capability, the Drell were poised for a massive population crash by 2025 CE.

- Agreeing to help, the Hanar mount a large-scale rescue operation and evacuate approximately 375,000 Drell to their own homeworld, Kahje, over the following decade. The remaining 11 billion Drell on Rakhana gradually perish, warring over the last reserves of food and water.

2069 CE

- Armstrong Outpost at Shackleton Crater is formally founded as the first Human settlement on Luna, on the 100th anniversary of the first lunar landing.

2077 CE

- Liara T'Soni is born.

2103 CE

- The European Space Agency's Lowell City in Eos Chasma becomes the first permanent Human settlement on Mars.

2125 CE

- The Yahg, an intelligent pre-spaceflight race, are discovered on the planet Parnack. Ambassadors representing the Citadel Council arrive on the planet and attempt to open diplomatic contact. After the ambassadors are killed by the predatory Yahg, the Council ceases all contact with the Yahg and declares Parnack off-limits.

- Long after the Yahg are discovered, one Yahg is captured for the Shadow Broker to study. With the Broker's assistance, the Yahg rapidly ascends within the Broker's organization as "Operative Kechlu". Eventually, the Broker becomes wary of "Operative Kechlu" and attempts to have him terminated, but the order is sent too late. The Yahg assumes the mantle of the Shadow Broker and directs the organization for the next sixty years.

2147 CE

- Trace elements of element zero are discovered on Mars.

2148 CE

- A group of explorers, led by astrophysicist Hideki Ishimura, discover a small cache of highly advanced Prothean technology hidden deep beneath the surface of Mars on the south polar region of Promethei Planum. Building on the remnants of this long extinct race, Humanity quickly explores the science of mass effect fields.

- Hideki Ishimura successfully develops a means of FTL travel utilizing mass effect physics, allowing Humanity to begin detailed exploration of the Sol system.

2149 CE

- Following information from the translated data cache on Mars, Humanity discovers that Charon, Pluto's moon, is actually a massive piece of dormant Prothean technology, a mass relay, encased in ice.

- Once activated, Admiral Jon Grissom leads the first team of explorers through the relay, which instantaneously transports them to another relay in Arcturus, 36 light-years away. The explorers discover that the mass relays are part of a vast network, making travel across the galaxy possible.

- The Systems Alliance charter is signed by the eighteen largest nations on Earth. It soon becomes the military and exploratory spearhead of Humanity.

2150 CE

- The Systems Alliance begins the first surveys for colonization prospects outside the Sol System. One of these surveys discovers the planet Terra Nova.

- Construction of the New Horizons colony on Luna begins. When completed, New Horizons will be a sprawling metropolis capable of housing more than two million people.

2151 CE

- In order to defend itself against any hostile alien races it may encounter, Humanity begins to construct a massive military fleet and space station at Arcturus, the nexus of several key mass relays.

**Council Era - Rise of the Systems Alliance and the Sovereign Colonies (2152 CE - 2164 CE)**

2152 CE

- Earth's resources begin to dwindle at an alarming rate, largely due to Humanity's rapid technological advancement, aggressive military expansion and large-scale, unsustainable growth of its industries and economies.

2154 CE

- Humanity begins to decline as most resources run out. Widespread pollution, environmental disasters and armed conflicts over remaining resources kill more than one billion people and threaten to cause the extinction of the Human race.

2155 CE

- The Systems Alliance seizes executive power over most independent national governments on Earth and establishes its own parliament. It unites the countries of Earth together in a sweeping political movement, gathering overwhelming support by touting "United, we stand. Divided, we fall". Tired of war and desperate for an alternative, billions support the new Systems Alliance government.

- The Systems Alliance is now Earth's global government. Its first act is to implement the dissolution of countries around the world. In their place, The Systems Alliance creates several sectors of administration based on national, geopolitical and geographical considerations to every region on the planet.

2156 CE

- The Systems Alliance devotes most of Earth's remaining resources into the exploration of unknown space beyond the mass relays, desperately searching for habitable planets to colonize in order to obtain additional living space and resources for the starved and overcrowded Earth.

- The Delta Pavonis Foundation, a major consortium based on Earth, begins settlement of Humanity's first extra-solar colony world, the planet Demeter. Later that year, additional colonies are founded on Eden Prime and Terra Nova.

2158 CE

- The Systems Alliance occupies completed portions of Arcturus Station, intending to make the massive, heavily-fortified space station its capital and headquarters.

- Humanity successfully establishes its 10th extra-solar colony on the planet New Gaia. Environmental damage, pollution, and the energy crisis on Earth have all been greatly abated by the steady influx of resources from its colonies. The Systems Alliance has also been able to manage overpopulation by encouraging millions of people to migrate to the colonies.

- Although resources are still relatively scarce, the situation on Earth has improved dramatically. Most conflicts over resources and living space have ended.

2159 CE

- Arcturus Station is formally inaugurated.

- The New Horizons colony on Luna is completed.

2162 CE

- Discontent in the colonies steadily increase. The majority of the people living in the colonies are angry and frustrated that the Systems Alliance is exploiting them by channeling most of their harvested resources back to Earth, leaving many of the colonies barren and poor. Living standards and conditions in the colonies start to deteriorate.

- Riots and armed demonstrations break out in several colonies. The Systems Alliance dispatches the military to keep the peace, but this only worsens the anti-government sentiments in the colonies. The leaders of the colony worlds threaten to secede from the Systems Alliance. In response, the Systems Alliance vows to use military force to respond to any secession attempt.

2164 CE

- Having seen the hardships faced by the colonists and become sympathetic to their cause, the commanders of the Alliance Navy's Second and Fifth Fleets, General Spencer Mahad and Admiral Marjorie Graves, grow increasingly disillusioned with the government and defect from the Systems Alliance.

- Most of the soldiers in the Second and Fifth Fleets remain loyal to General Mahad and Admiral Graves. Those who wanted to return to the Systems Alliance were given the chance to do so.

- As the news of their defection spread, thousands of Alliance Navy personnel, many of them with family and relatives living in the colonies, abandon their posts to join the Second and Fifth Fleets.

- With this overwhelming military support, the colonies officially declare their secession from the Systems Alliance and rename themselves the Sovereign Colonies, governed by the Sovereign Colonies Council. General Mahad and Admiral Graves combine their fleets with several militia and mercenary groups in the colonies to form the Sovereign Colonies Armed Forces (SCAF).

**Council Era - The Secession War (2165 CE - 2177 CE)**

2165 CE

- The Systems Alliance refuses to recognize the secession and declares the Sovereign Colonies a rogue state, threatening it with war unless the Sovereign Colonies dissolve their parliament, dismantle their armed forces, and rejoin the Systems Alliance.

- On the 10th anniversary of the Systems Alliance government's formation, the SCAF launches a surprise attack on the Alliance Navy's First Fleet over the New Horizons colony on Luna. Caught off-guard, the First Fleet is unable to put up any form of resistance and is completely destroyed.

- The Systems Alliance declares war on the Sovereign Colonies, beginning the Secession War which will last 12 years, claim millions of lives and forever change the fate of the galaxy.

2167 CE

- The Systems Alliance recaptures the colony of Eden Prime in the largest space battle of the Secession War, dealing the Sovereign Colonies a crushing defeat. Having lost a third of its entire fleet during the battle, the SCAF makes a hasty withdrawal from Eden Prime, surrendering the colony to the Systems Alliance.

2168 CE

- The Alliance Navy's Third Fleet is lured into a trap over the colony of Terra Nova and ambushed by the SCAF Fleet. Over half of the Third Fleet is destroyed before the timely arrival of the Fourth and Sixth Fleets force the SCAF Fleet to retreat. With complete dominion over the skies of Terra Nova, the Alliance Navy lands troops on the planet's surface to begin a lengthy ground war with the SCAF defenders.

- The SCAF forces the Alliance Navy to be on the defensive, using hit and run tactics to harass the Alliance Navy's supply lines, military bases and resource facilities, stalling its advance and delaying it from making attacks on the other colonies.

2169 CE

- Despite constant attacks by the SCAF, the Alliance Navy breaks through to attack the colony worlds of Iapetus, Endeavor and Providence. The SCAF fights the Alliance Navy every step of the way, eventually engaging its fleets in large space battles over each of the three colonies.

- The Sovereign Colonies secretly design and begin building Humanity's first dreadnought, the CMS Liberty.

- The colony of Terra Nova finally falls to the Systems Alliance after a year of heavy fighting. A protracted siege, a steady stream of enemy reinforcements and constant orbital bombardment eventually force the deeply-entrenched SCAF defenders to surrender.

- A strong fleet presence and extensive defenses allow the SCAF to repel the Alliance Navy's attacks on Endeavor and Providence. In the face of stiff resistance, the Alliance Navy diverts a portion of its attacking fleets to the battle over Iapetus, bolstering the offense there and routing the SCAF defenders with sheer numerical superiority.

- With Iapetus under the Systems Alliance's control, the Alliance Navy establishes a strategic foothold on the colony world, allowing it to launch a major offensive on the colony of Babylon.

2170 CE

- The battles for Endeavor, Providence and Babylon continue. Both sides suffer heavy losses as the Secession War intensifies. Repeated and relentless incursions by the Alliance Navy into Sovereign Colonies territory force the SCAF to cease all offensive operations and constantly be on the defensive.

- Realizing that the Alliance Navy is dragging it into a war of attrition that it cannot win, the SCAF turns to espionage and sabotage to blunt the Alliance Navy's offense and turn the tide of the war.

- The Alliance Navy's Sixth Fleet is lost over Babylon when SCAF saboteurs infiltrate the fleet, disguising themselves as refugees from the colony. The saboteurs ram refugee shuttles loaded with explosives into several ships, throwing the fleet into disarray. The crippled Sixth Fleet is then ambushed and destroyed by the SCAF fleet as it tries to flee the system. The Alliance Navy abandons its attack on the colony and withdraws its remaining forces from Babylon.

- SCAF spies discover the location of several Alliance Navy deep-space refueling stations and supply depots, allowing the SCAF to launch strikes against the facilities and capture them. The SCAF is also able to obtain fleet and troop movement plans, severely hindering the Alliance Navy's offensive operations by intercepting attack forces and transport vessels. The Alliance Navy is forced to pull back from Endeavor when the SCAF capitalizes on its recent victories and launches attacks on Terra Nova, intending to retake the colony.

- Cerberus, a top-secret paramilitary organization, is created by the Systems Alliance following the disastrous loss of the Sixth Fleet, rampant acts of sabotage and information leaks. Originally an intelligence agency, Cerberus expands its operations as the war progresses to include covert missions and research. Cerberus establishes its headquarters on Chronos Station, a space station capable of FTL travel. Over the course of the Secession War, Chronos Station changes its location multiple times in order to avoid detection by the SCAF.

2171 CE

- Cerberus counter-intelligence operations manage to uncover many SCAF spies and thwart even more sabotage attempts. Cerberus trains and dispatches spies and saboteurs of its own, landing black-ops squads deep behind enemy lines to wreak havoc on SCAF installations. Undeterred, the SCAF expands and steps up its espionage and sabotage operations.

- The SCAF's attempt to retake Terra Nova is unsuccessful and ultimately abandoned when reinforcements from Endeavor arrive to bolster the Alliance Navy's defense of the colony. The Alliance Navy slowly regains its momentum and renews its offensive operations, resuming its attacks on Endeavor, Providence and Babylon, as well as opening new fronts on the colonies of Demeter and Callisto.

2172 CE

- Resources, already scarce before the Secession War, reach critically low levels for both the Systems Alliance and Sovereign Colonies. Both the Alliance Navy and SCAF hoard their fleets, keeping their ships far away from the front lines, relying instead on ground troops to fight for contested colonies. The war becomes long and drawn-out, with fighting on several colonies degenerating into brutal and bloody trench warfare.

- The Systems Alliance tasks Cerberus with the urgent and important mission of finding a viable, alternative source of energy for the war.

- The SCAF launches Humanity's first dreadnought, the CMS Liberty. Believing that the dreadnoughts will win them the war, the Sovereign Colonies devote a significant portion of their remaining resources into the construction of two more dreadnoughts, the CMS Victory and the CMS Deliverance.

2173 CE

- With the CMS Liberty as his flagship, General Mahad leads the majority of the SCAF fleet in a brazen attack on Arcturus Station, intending to strike at the heart of the Systems Alliance and destroy its government. The Alliance Navy's Third Fleet, stationed at Arcturus Station, is powerless against the CMS Liberty's giant long-range mass accelerator cannon. Unwilling and unable to engage the numerically superior SCAF fleet protecting the massive warship, the Third Fleet can only hold position while the CMS Liberty devastates Arcturus Station. By the time the Fourth Fleet arrives to defend Arcturus Station, the SCAF fleet is long gone and the Systems Alliance capital lies in ruins.

- Despite the near total-destruction of Arcturus Station, the SCAF fails to kill any members of the Systems Alliance's top leadership. Immediately after the battle of Arcturus Station, the Alliance Navy's Seventh Fleet takes advantage of the SCAF fleet's absence to launch an all-out attack on Providence. The colony finally falls to the Systems Alliance in a matter of hours.

- Cerberus spies discover where the Sovereign Colonies are building their new dreadnoughts. The Alliance Navy raids the dreadnought shipyard on the asteroid of Antiga Prime, intending to capture the two incomplete warships. The SCAF forces defending the shipyard are forced to retreat, destroying the CMS Victory and CMS Deliverance before they can fall into enemy hands. The loss of the two dreadnoughts, as well as the colony of Providence, result in flagging public support for the Sovereign Colonies.

2174 CE

- Geophysicist Michael Altman discovers a gravitational anomaly originating from the Chicxulub impact crater underneath the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico. Further investigations of the gravitational anomaly reveal that it is actually a signal. Michael Altman publishes his findings, getting the attention of Cerberus which recruits him, assembles a massive research team, and launches an expedition to the Chicxulub impact crater. A floating research facility is constructed above the sunken crater. The Cerberus expedition begins excavation of the crater and eventually finds the Black Marker, an alien artifact responsible for the signal.

- The Black Marker is brought up to the research facility, where the Cerberus research team discovers that it is producing an enormous amount of energy. Believing that the Black Marker is the energy source which the Systems Alliance so desperately needs, the researchers begin to study the alien artifact in great detail, intending to find a way to replicate it.

- The Black Marker begins to cause insanity amongst the Cerberus researchers, who start killing themselves and each other. A necromorph infection breaks out in the research facility. In an attempt to contain the outbreak and ensure that the Black Marker can never be found again, Michael Altman destroys the facility and sinks the Black Marker to the bottom of the Chicxulub impact crater. Realizing the power of the Black Marker, and with the belief that Cerberus will doom all of mankind by using it as a weapon, Michael Altman defects from Cerberus and reveals the Black Marker to the public.

- Cerberus hunts down and assassinates Michael Altman. His revelation of an immensely powerful alien artifact possessing the ability to bring the dead back to life, followed immediately by his very public execution, spawns a huge religious movement which centers its beliefs around the Black Marker. Unitology is born, gaining millions of followers in a matter of days and becoming the fastest-growing religion on Earth.

2175 CE

- Using data salvaged from the Chicxulub expedition, Cerberus reverse-engineers the Black Marker and creates three Red Markers. When completed, the Red Markers are transported along with their research teams to the remote planets of Aegis VII, Kreemar and Aspera for testing. Initially, the Red Markers function perfectly, producing seemingly limitless energy.

- Doctor Earl Serrano, the Marker project's Head Scientist, makes the startling discovery that the Red Markers are not the producers of energy as initially thought, but are actually the receivers of it. Doctor Serrano and his team begin the task of triangulating the Marker signals, hoping to find the energy's source. They are successful, and discover that the planet of Tau Volantis is the origin of the Marker signals.

- Barely a week after Doctor Serrano's discovery, the Red Marker on Aegis VII begins to cause insanity among the researchers. A full-blown necromorph outbreak a few days later forces Cerberus to abandon the facility and declare Aegis VII off-limits, but not before the researchers are able to modify the Red Marker into an inhibitor of the necromorph infection, rendering the undead organisms inert. Deciding that the costs of using the Markers for energy are too high, the Systems Alliance abandons and shuts down the Marker project. Cerberus destroys the remaining two Red Markers and their research facilities on Kreemar and Aspera, purges all Marker-related data, and begins to terminate all Marker research personnel.

- Doctor Serrano manages to escape the purge, saving as much Marker-related data as possible before fleeing to the Sovereign Colonies with his research. Believing that the Markers and their energy source on Tau Volantis hold the key to ensuring the survival and future of the Human race, Doctor Serrano convinces the Sovereign Colonies Council to launch an expedition to the planet. Running out of support and resources, the Sovereign Colonies Council agrees and dispatches half of the SCAF fleet to Tau Volantis.

2176 CE

- The SCAF expedition arrives over Tau Volantis. General Mahad leads the troops on the planet's surface, setting up barracks, research facilities and drill sites. Admiral Graves and the flotilla remain in orbit, providing support for the research teams working on the ground.

- The research teams, led by Doctor Serrano, discover an alien city underneath the planet's surface and begin excavations. They find frozen specimens of alien origin, numerous alien artifacts, and a host of Red Markers, varying in size. Doctor Alexei Obauchev of the SCAF's Science Division begins neurological dissections on the aliens in an attempt to better understand their physiology.

- Two months later, the SCAF expedition starts to fall apart. Members of the expedition begin to exhibit symptoms of Marker influence, including headaches, hallucinations, and violent insanity. The bodies of dead soldiers are brought aboard and stored on the ships alongside the artifacts and Markers. Admiral Graves is confined to her quarters under quarantine, claiming to hear voices telling her to "Turn it off". General Mahad declares Admiral Graves unfit for duty and takes command of the entire expedition.

- Necromorph outbreaks in several SCAF facilities claim even more victims. Food supplies and rations start to run low. Desperate and starving, some soldiers resort to cannibalism. With the situation spiraling out of control, and with necromorphs starting to appear on some ships in the flotilla, the Sovereign Colonies Council authorizes 'Scenario Five' to eliminate the threats presented by the Markers and necromorphs. General Mahad orders his troops to destroy all Marker-related data, kill all expedition personnel, destroy all communications, disable all ships and vehicles, and finally self-terminate.

- A wounded Doctor Serrano seeks refuge in the alien city, and in his dying moments, discovers the terrible truth. The city is actually the massive terraforming machine built by the alien inhabitants of Tau Volantis two million years ago. Turning it off will free the Brethren Moon above Tau Volantis, allowing it to finally become fully-formed and continue the chain of Brethren Moons. Its brothers in dark space will resume their march to the Milky Way galaxy, leading to the extinction of all life.

- The SCAF expedition ends in disaster. Tau Volantis and the shattered flotilla above it become lost to history until a century later, when Isaac Clarke and Naomi Shepard lead another expedition to the planet in an attempt to end the threat of the Brethren Moons once and for all.

2177 CE

- With most of their forces destroyed over Tau Volantis, the Sovereign Colonies surrender to the Systems Alliance. They scuttle their remaining fleets but leave the CMS Liberty intact, turning the dreadnought over to the Systems Alliance as a peace offering. The Alliance Navy incorporates the CMS Liberty into its fleet, renaming it the SSV Everest. The Secession War comes to an end.

- Cerberus researchers discover how to efficiently extract helium-3 from the atmospheres of gas giants in the Sol System. The Systems Alliance sets up Eldfell-Ashland Energy (EAE) to mine Saturn for helium-3. Humanity now has access to a new and abundant source of energy.

**Council Era - Mankind's Golden Age (2178 CE - 2253 CE)**

2180 CE

- Humanity continues to rebuild and recover after the devastating Secession War. Although Humanity's energy needs are adequately met by fusion reactors which utilize helium-3, other resources, especially those crucial to manufacturing and construction, remain in short supply. The Systems Alliance resumes aggressive colonization of extra-solar worlds to meet Humanity's other resource needs, as well as to provide more living space for the burgeoning post-war population.

- The Concordance Extraction Company (CEC) is formed through the largest corporate merger in the history of mankind. 20 of Earth's largest companies pool their resources to create the largest solar mining and extraction company on Earth. Besides mining, the CEC also conducts deep space exploration, mass effect technology research, construction, investment and shipbuilding.

- Unitology spreads to the extra-solar colonies, becoming an interstellar religion.

2181 CE

- EAE becomes fully privatized, but the corporation manages to maintain its monopoly over helium-3 extraction for the next two decades.

- The CEC begins mining operations in the asteroid belt and launches deep space surveys to search for planets outside of the Sol System which are unsuitable for colonization, but rich in resources.

- As more colonies are founded and the number of spacefaring vessels increases, the Systems Alliance sets up the United Spacefaring Guild, a civilian body in charge of monitoring and administrating all non-military space traffic. All civilian ships are now required to have a 'USG' prefix to make them distinct from military vessels.

2188 CE

- The CEC's research on mass effect technology culminates in the invention of the gravity tether, giving Humanity a means of moving objects with incredible size and mass. Well aware of the gravity tether's potential, the company begins to explore its applications to mining. The CEC designs the Ishimura, a massive mining vessel which will utilize gravity tethers to capture and harvest asteroids.

- With additional funding from the Systems Alliance, and with the assistance of the best scientists and researchers from Cerberus, the CEC manages to improve on the gravity tether's design, greatly increasing the mass that the technology is able to manipulate. The Ishimura's design undergoes a major overhaul when researchers theorize that the gravity tethers are now capable of removing entire sections of a planet's crust.

- Construction begins on the Ishimura at the end of the year. As the ship is designed to break open resource-rich celestial bodies and harvest them, the CEC coins the term 'planet cracker' to classify the Ishimura when registering the vessel with the United Spacefaring Guild.

2190 CE

- The Human population reaches 11 billion. Humanity is now spread across Earth, Luna, Mars and 25 extra-solar colonies.

2193 CE

- The USG Ishimura is completed and performs its first planet crack on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. The mining operation is a resounding success, and its three subsequent planet cracks later that year bring an incredible amount of resources flooding into Humanity's coffers.

- Following the success of the USG Ishimura, the CEC builds its second planet cracker, the USG Perseus. The company's annual revenue exceeds 20 trillion, making it the fifth-largest company in terms of market capital.

2201 CE

- The Systems Alliance begins construction of Titan Station, a colony built on the largest remaining shard of Titan.

- EAE's monopoly over helium-3 extraction is destroyed when it is outbid by the CEC for exclusive mining rights to Prometheus, an extra-solar gas giant.

2215 CE

- Titan Station is completed.

- The CEC launches its third planet cracker, the USG Castle. The company constructs a shipyard, dry dock, mineral processing plant and its new headquarters on Titan Station, making it the nerve center of Humanity's planet cracking operations. Titan Station experiences rapid growth as a result, also functioning as both a critical research outpost and a way station for deep space mining operations.

2218 CE

- The Alliance Navy continues to expand, commissioning its first carrier, the SSV Einstein. It also adds two more dreadnoughts to its growing armada, the SSV Elbrus and the SSV Fuji. Humanity now has a truly massive and formidable military, consisting of over 150 million personnel and 7,000 warships.

2221 CE

- Mankind enters a Golden Age. Earth's economy is thriving with the impressive resource wealth from three dozen settled colonies, hundreds of industrial outposts, and the spoils from over a hundred planet cracks flowing back to the Human homeworld. Advances in healthcare and medicine have led to the eradication of most diseases and longer lifespans. High standards of living, both on Earth and its colonies, create an almost utopian society. Fleets of massive planet crackers, under heavy escort by Alliance Navy warships, become Humanity's pride and symbol of power. Humanity flourishes throughout the galaxy, unopposed, until they make first contact with the Turians 36 years later.

2234 CE

- Steven Hackett is born.

- Zaeed Massani is born.

2237 CE

- David Anderson is born.

- Isaac Clarke is born.

2239 CE

- Saren Arterius is born.

- Jack Harper is born.

2246 CE

- Thane Krios is born.

2250 CE

- Miranda Lawson is born.

2251 CE

- An accident at Singapore International Spaceport exposes hundreds of humans to dust-form element zero. Roughly 30% of the children born in Singapore after element zero exposure suffer from cancerous growths. After his mother is exposed during the accident, Kaidan Alenko is born later that year with biotic potential.

- Thane Krios is submitted for training as an assassin under the Hanar.

2253 CE

- Garrus Vakarian is born.

2254 CE

- Naomi Shepard is born.

**Council Era - The Advent of Humanity (2257 CE - 2282 CE)**

2257 CE

- Humanity makes violent first contact with the Turians, another spacefaring race. The Turians observe the USG Pegasus commencing a planet crack on Libra V, an unsettled Turian colony on the edge of Turian space. Outraged by the wanton destruction of their colony, the Turians attack and destroy the USG Pegasus and the Alliance Navy warships escorting it. The cruiser SSV Singapore manages to escape and warn the rest of Humanity about the Turian attack. Over the next three months, a brief but tense conflict known by Humans as the First Contact War and by Turians as the Libra V Incident ensues.

- The First Contact War culminates in the Turian siege and occupation of Shanxi, the first Human world to fall to an alien race. Admiral Kastanie Drescher leads the Alliance Navy's Second Fleet in battle against Shanxi's occupiers one month later, attempting to evict the Turians from the colony.

- While infiltrating and attacking enemy installations on Turian-occupied Shanxi, Cerberus special forces Captain Jack Harper becomes embroiled in a plot by Turian general Desolas Arterius to use an ancient alien artifact, the Arca Monolith, to convert the Turian race into an army of invincible soldiers. Harper is able to destroy the Arca Monolith and kill the Turian general before the plan can succeed, but is hit and rendered unconscious by an energy pulse released upon the Arca Monolith's destruction. Actually a Reaper artifact, the Arca Monolith empowers Harper with greatly increased intelligence and exceptional physical prowess, as well as making him aware of the existence of the Reapers and their cycles of destruction. Still in a coma, he is recovered by Cerberus and sent to Chronos Station.

- After two months of fierce fighting, the Alliance Navy manages to defeat and drive the alien invaders off Shanxi. The Turians prepare for a full-scale war against Humanity, but this draws the attention of the Citadel Council. The Council intervenes before hostilities escalate further, revealing the existence of the greater galactic community to Humanity and brokering a peace between them and the Turians.

- Jacob Taylor is born.

- David Anderson graduates from the Systems Alliance's N7 training program.

2258 CE

- The Citadel Council welcomes Humanity to join the galactic community. However, it demands that the Humans decommission their planet crackers, pay heavy reparations for destroying the Turian colony of Libra V, and sign the Treaty of Farixen. Humanity must accept these terms or it will be denied an embassy on the Citadel, be barred from participating in galactic trade, and face restrictions when passing through the mass relay network.

- The Systems Alliance accepts the Council's terms, eager to become part of the galactic community. The Citadel Council gives Humanity 25 years to retire all of its planet crackers from service. No longer able to rely on the planet crackers for most of its resource needs, the Systems Alliance establishes many trade agreements and partnerships with the other races, cooperating closely with them in other areas such as research and development, making several significant technological breakthroughs and quickly establishing Humanity as a rising power. Although Humanity becomes recognized and respected in the galactic community, many races still view it with a degree of fear and suspicion, while antagonism and bigotry between the Humans and Turians remain for decades.

- Not all of Humanity supports the Systems Alliance's friendly stance toward the alien races. Many are angry about the Systems Alliance's decision to accede to the Council's demands, feeling that the alien races are trying to subjugate Humanity, and that the System Alliance is not doing anything to protect Humanity's interests.

- Jack Harper regains consciousness on Chronos Station. His warnings about the Reapers are dismissed as the ravings of a madman by the Cerberus leadership. Furious, he quits the organization and subsequently finds out about the aftermath of the First Contact War. Disgusted by the Systems Alliance's incompetence, Harper leads an army of like-minded Cerberus and Alliance Navy personnel to attack Chronos Station, slaughtering everyone on board before seizing the station and making a FTL jump to an unknown location. Harper assumes control of Cerberus, breaking it away from the Systems Alliance and turning it into a Human-survivalist organization. He publishes a manifesto, stating that dark times are coming for the galaxy, and that only Cerberus is able to protect Humanity and its interests.

- The Systems Alliance reacts to the coup by labeling Cerberus a terrorist organization, dismissing the manifesto as "survivalist rhetoric written by an illusive man". In the aftermath of his coup, Jack Harper eliminates anyone who knows of his true identity, establishing himself as the elusive leader of Cerberus, known to the rest of the galaxy as The Illusive Man.

- Humans learn the potential of biotics. An international effort to track element zero exposures begins. Roughly 10% of recorded exposed children show indications of biotic ability.

- Ashley Williams is born.

2259 CE

- Saren Arterius becomes the youngest Turian to be inducted into the Spectres.

- The Systems Alliance converts Gagarin Station, a military base which was constructed during the Secession War, into a biotic research and training facility.

- Unitology continues to grow and spread throughout Citadel Space. Its simple and holistic message of unity, harmony and fulfillment gains it many new members from the other races. Unitology becomes a multi-species religion, although its members are still predominantly Humans.

- Despite the Systems Alliance condemning and branding it as a terrorist organization, Cerberus gains itself many supporters and wealthy sympathizers from within the Systems Alliance military-industrial complex who contribute enormous amounts of credits and resources to the organization. Cerberus thrives and expands in the shadows, setting up large front corporations to further finance its activities. Many who share The Illusive Man's views join Cerberus, wishing to see Humanity take its rightful place in the galaxy. Its ranks swell, developing an impressive military force and an even greater network of operatives, spies and agents who infiltrate countless organizations, corporations and governments across Citadel Space and the Terminus Systems.

2260 CE

- With the existence of Human biotics firmly established, the Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training (BAaT) program is set up on Gagarin Station to train potential candidates and develop biotic implants.

- The biotic drug red sand is first used.

- Isaac Clarke graduates with high honors from an engineering school and enlists in the Merchant Marines, a paramilitary group tasked with patrolling and maintaining security along commercial shipping lanes between Earth and its colonies.

- The Blue Suns mercenary group is founded by Zaeed Massani and Vido Santiago in the Skyllian Verge.

- Kasumi Goto is born.

- Ellie Langford is born.

2261 CE

- As demanded by the Citadel Council, Humanity begins to decommission its planet crackers. The USG Perseus becomes the first planet cracker to be taken out of service. The Alliance Navy buys the vessel, removes its mining equipment and converts it into a hospital ship. The USG Ishimura, ageing flagship of Humanity's planet cracker fleet, docks at Titan Station for extensive upgrades and retrofits to take advantage of continuing advances in technology.

- Impressed by his exceptional engineering skills and believing that his talents are wasted in the Merchant Marines, Isaac Clarke's superiors recommend him to the CEC, which employs him as a systems engineer.

- Tali'Zorah nar Rayya is born.

- Jack is born.

2262 CE

- The planet cracker USG Fortitude is destroyed over the planet of Wanat when its gravity tethers fail. The land mass being tethered to the ship falls back to Wanat, dragging the USG Fortitude along with it. The CEC colony on the land mass and three supply ships are also lost in the disaster which leaves no survivors. In the aftermath of the Wanat disaster, the value of CEC's shares plummet, along with the public's confidence in planet cracking.

2263 CE

- Unitology now boasts a following of hundreds of millions, counts powerful CEOs and officials in its ranks, has stocks and shares in several companies worth billions of credits, and owns two of Earth's largest financial institutions, GPSG Financial and Unitas Energy Investments. The Church of Unitology begins to fund hundreds of expeditions to remote planets and systems, sending its members all across the galaxy in search of Black Markers.

- The first experimental L1 biotic implants are used in Humans.

- A series of starship drive failures are orchestrated over populated areas on Human colony worlds, causing widespread exposures to element zero. This results in a second generation of Humans born with biotic potential.

- The Leviathan of Dis, a genetically-engineered living starship believed to be nearly a billion years old, is discovered by a Batarian survey team on the planet Jartar. The Leviathan disappears under dubious circumstances after a Batarian dreadnought passes through the Dis system.

2264 CE

- Ivor Johnstagg is sentenced to 21 years in prison for attempting to assassinate Venta Tox, the Volus ambassador to the Citadel. Although Johnstagg claims to be acting on behalf of the radical Human political party Eternal Earth, no connection is found and Johnstagg is diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. Backlash from the assassination attempt jeopardizes the Systems Alliance's bid for an embassy on the Citadel.

- Cerberus begins to take interest in Unitology and its increasingly aggressive search for the Black Markers. Cerberus researchers discover fragments of Doctor Serrano's Marker research from almost a century ago, locked away in the organization's massive archives on Chronos Station. Although most of the data is either missing or corrupted, they are able to piece together some information about the Black Marker's discovery on Earth, the successful attempts to replicate it, and the destruction of all but one of the reverse-engineered copies. Believing that the Black Marker is an ancient alien superweapon and fearing that a Unitologist expedition would stumble across the abandoned copy, The Illusive Man sets up Project Morrigan to find the lost Red Marker.

2265 CE

- Humanity continues to expand, founding more colonies and establishing alliances with many of the other species who recognize the authority of the Citadel Council. The Citadel Council makes official recognition of Humanity's growing power and influence in the galactic community, and grants Humanity an embassy on the Citadel, the political and economic heart of the galaxy.

- Tensions grow between Humans and Batarians as they compete for territory in the Skyllian Verge.

- Terrorists steal antimatter from the Alliance Navy cruiser SSV Geneva. The sole figure arrested names his sponsor "Cerberus". This is the first such incident of sabotage connected to the Cerberus organization.

- After a disagreement between Vido Santiago and Zaeed Massani over hiring Batarians into the Blue Suns, Vido betrays Zaeed and leaves him for dead. All records of Zaeed's involvement in the Blue Suns are erased.

- Jack is abducted by Cerberus agents on Eden Prime. They fake her death and take her to the Teltin Facility on Pragia as part of a project intended to improve biotic potential in Humans.

2266 CE

- Commander Vyrnnus, a Turian mercenary, is hired to oversee the training of Human biotics at BAaT.

- The planet cracker USG Castle is decommissioned. The CEC struggles to stay afloat, the fallout from the Wanat disaster costing the company billions in damages and losses. Cerberus invests heavily in the CEC, seizing this opportunity to become its largest shareholder. With operatives in the CEC's board of directors, Cerberus gains significant influence over the company.

2267 CE

- L2 biotic implants are first developed and used in Humans. Kaidan Alenko is among the first to receive the new implants.

- The magazine Fornax is launched.

- The Titan Station Church of Unitology is built.

2268 CE

- Kaidan Alenko accidentally kills Commander Vyrnnus after being provoked. The diplomatic fallout with the Turians results in BAaT being shut down a year later.

- Conatix Industries, a key investor in the BAaT program working on biotic implant technology and specializing in telekinesis, collaborates with the Armali Council, an affiliation of Asari manufacturing guilds making high-grade omnitools and bio-amps, to develop the kinesis and stasis modules, tools which enable non-biotic individuals to use biotic powers. The kinesis and stasis modules immediately find many applications in a wide range of industries and fields.

- Cerberus spies infiltrate the Church of Unitology, but none of them are able to gain access to its top leadership. Some even convert to Unitology, defecting from Cerberus and revealing the organization's own search for the Black Markers to the Church. The Church of Unitology sends its members to join and spy on Cerberus, attempting to uncover information about Project Morrigan.

- The USG Ishimura's upgrades and retrofits are completed, and the planet cracker returns to active service. Isaac Clarke is posted to serve on the USG Ishimura for the next 5 years.

2270 CE

- The Human colony of Mindoir is attacked by Batarian slavers. Many colonists are killed or captured.

- Another Human colony, Yandoa, suffers catastrophic dust-form element zero exposure to its atmosphere when the USG Venus, an EAE ship, explodes in orbit. Many children suffer birth defects but some are born with biotic potential.

- Biotic training for Humans is outsourced to the Systems Alliance military and selected R&D companies such as Conatix Industries. Conatix Industries begins to develop more powerful versions of the stasis and kinesis modules for military use.

- L3 biotic implants are developed after L2 implants prove to be dangerous.

- The first A-61 Mantis Gunships are produced.

2271 CE

- In protest at the refusal of the Citadel Council to limit Human expansion in the Skyllian Verge, the Batarians close their embassy, withdraw into their home systems, and effectively become a rogue state.

- Cerberus assassinates Pope Clement XVI on Earth via rosary beads coated with toxic substances; his death is attributed to age and heart failure. His successor, Pope Leo XIV, espouses beliefs more in-line with Cerberus' ideals.

- Kelly Chambers becomes a Unitologist, quickly rising through the Church of Unitology's ranks and attaining the title of 'overseer'.

2272 CE

- Naomi Shepard enlists in the Alliance military.

2273 CE

- Odd surface protrusions resembling Black Markers are discovered on the planet of Armeni, where an ancient spacefaring race known as the Zeioph constructed elaborate crypts underneath its surface. When the Citadel Council prevents the Church of Unitology from launching expeditions to Armeni, citing laws that hold burial sites as sacrosanct, millions of Unitologists hold massive demonstrations and protests throughout Citadel space. In the face of overwhelming dissent, the Citadel Council eventually relents and allows the Unitologists to conduct their pilgrimages to Armeni, now declared a sacred Unitology landmark by the Church of Unitology.

- Project Morrigan launches a covert expedition to Armeni to investigate the Marker-like structures. The Cerberus research team discovers that the structures are not Black Markers at all. They are simply statues made in the Black Markers' image. Further investigations reveal ancient murals in the crypts which show that the Zeioph worshiped the Black Markers as gifts from their gods. The researchers also make the startling discovery that the crypts on Armeni are actually stasis chambers, implying that the Zeioph intended to preserve the corpses of their dead instead of burying them as previously thought.

- Kaiden Alenko enlists in the Alliance military.

2274 CE

- Ashley Williams enlists in the Alliance military.

- Kelly Chambers joins Cerberus, infiltrating the organization on behalf of the Church of Unitology. She attains a relatively high position within the organization and is posted to Chronos Station to work as a military psychologist for Cerberus troops.

2275 CE

- On a survey mission to 2175 Aeia, an important colonization prospect for the Systems Alliance, the USG Hugo Gernsback disappears and is presumed destroyed.

- Cerberus covertly contacts Michael Moser Lang, a political dissident on Earth, and provides him with funding to purchase weapons. Cerberus continues to monitor him after contact ends. One year later, Lang assassinates United North American States president Enrique Aguilar and Chinese People's Federation premier Ying Xiong. The resulting political shuffle benefits Cerberus' shell companies and plans for the Systems Alliance parliament.

- Naomi Shepard graduates from the Systems Alliance's N7 training program.

2276 CE

- Batarian-funded pirates and criminals launch a surprise attack, later known as the Skyllian Blitz, on the Human colony of Elysium. Stationed on Elysium with her platoon, Naomi Shepard takes charge of her fellow soldiers when her Commanding Officer is killed, and rallies the colonists against the Batarian invaders. When enemy forces break through the colony's defenses, she single-handedly holds them off and seals the breach. For her bravery and heroic defense of the colony, Shepard is awarded the Star of Terra and becomes known throughout the Systems Alliance as the Hero of Elysium. The assault is eventually repulsed by the Alliance Navy and ground teams.

- The Jon Grissom Academy is commissioned over Elysium, and becomes home to the Alliance's new biotic training program, the Ascension Project.

- The Anhur Rebellions, a civil war waged over the practice of slavery, begin on the Human and Batarian colony world of Anhur and spread throughout the Amun system. Abolitionism supporters hire the Eclipse mercenary group to fight the Batarian pro-slavery Na'hesit faction.

- James Vega enlists in the Alliance military.

- Miners at the T-GES Mineral Works facility on Mahavid uncover a Leviathan artifact. The miners are enthralled by the Leviathans for the next 10 years and are used to carry out numerous experiments.

2277 CE

- During a recon mission to find a missing colonial pioneer team on Akuze, 50 Alliance Navy marines are attacked and killed by thresher maws.

- The CEC finally recovers from the Wanat disaster, posting profits for the first time in 15 years. Going back to its roots, the company makes the transition from planet cracking to more conventional mining operations on asteroids and other celestial bodies. As its new mining operations are much more labor-intensive than planet cracking, the CEC hires aggressively to meet its increased manpower needs, employing Humans and aliens alike. Quarians are especially sought-after by the company for their engineering and shipbuilding skills.

2278 CE

- In retaliation for the Skyllian Blitz, the Alliance Navy launches a major offensive against the moon of Torfan and destroys the criminal bases there, mostly populated by Batarians. During the battle, Naomi Shepard leads a daring charge against a heavily-defended enemy position and captures a crucial objective with minimal casualties. The threat against Human colonies from Batarian extremists is curtailed.

- Naomi Shepard is promoted to Lieutenant Commander for her actions on Torfan.

- The Alliance Navy tracks several pirate FTL exit vectors over a period of 6 months using covert monitoring devices planted on Theshaca's moons, leading the Alliance Navy to eight major pirate anchorages. Since the Theshaca Raids, no ships from the Terminus Systems have entered Human space.

- The Anhur Rebellions end with the abolitionist forces in power, and the reconstruction of Anhur commences.

2182 CE

- Admiral Kahoku of the Alliance Navy begins investigating suspected Cerberus activities.

- The USG Columbia is decommissioned. The USG Ishimura becomes the last planet cracker in service.

2283 CE

- Humans and Turians collaborate on an engineering project co-sponsored by the Citadel Council to develop an experimental frigate with a prototype stealth system. David Anderson is given command of the ship, the SSV Normandy, and Naomi Shepard is assigned as Executive Officer.

**Mass Effect and Dead Space (2283 CE - 2286 CE)**

2283 CE

**- **The Human colony of Eden Prime is attacked by the Geth, initiating a wider conflict between Humans and Geth known as the Eden Prime War. After exposing the involvement of rogue Spectre Saren Arterius in the attack, Naomi Shepard and the crew of the SSV Normandy pursue Saren in his search for the Conduit, later revealed to be part of a larger plan orchestrated by the Reaper Sovereign to return its kind to the galaxy. While Shepard follows Saren through the legendary Mu Relay to the Conduit, Sovereign and a Geth fleet assault the Citadel. Shepard defeats Saren and the Alliance Navy destroys Sovereign, preventing the return of the Reapers. The Citadel Council is saved by the Alliance Navy during the Battle of the Citadel, and grants Humanity a seat on the Council.

- A month after the Battle of the Citadel, the SSV Normandy is attacked and destroyed by the Collectors over the planet of Alchera, resulting in the death of Naomi Shepard. Later, the Systems Alliance officially declares her 'killed in action'. In the aftermath of Shepard's death, the Illusive Man sets up Project Lazarus, placing Miranda Lawson in charge and tasking her with recovering Shepard's body.

- Humanity prepares to decommission its last planet cracker, on track to meet the 25-year deadline set by the Citadel Council. Still feeling indebted to Humanity for rescuing it during the Battle of the Citadel, the Citadel Council allows the USG Ishimura to conduct one last planet crack before it is retired from service. The CEC scans several planets and discovers Aegis VII, which has extremely valuable mineral deposits. The company constructs a colony on the planet to prepare it for the mining operation.

- CEC personnel discover the lost Red Marker on Aegis VII and bring it into the colony. Two weeks later, the colonists begin to suffer from dementia, and cases of homicides and other acts of violence rapidly increase. 50 Unitologists kill themselves in a mass suicide while several colonists are killed by an engineer experiencing extreme hallucinations. Knowledge of the Red Marker reaches The Illusive Man, who orders the CEC to bring the artifact aboard the USG Ishimura and deliver it to Cerberus once the planet crack is complete.

- The USG Ishimura arrives over Aegis VII. Unbeknownst to both the CEC and The Illusive Man, many members of the ship's crew including its captain, Benjamin Matthius, are devout Unitologists who plan to turn the Red Marker over to the Church of Unitology instead. The Red Marker is transported off-world and brought aboard the USG Ishimura. The planet crack commences on schedule, but a mysterious signal from an unknown source causes significant interference and disables all communications shortly after the USG Ishimura's gravity tethers are engaged. Necromorphs overrun the colony and infect the ship, slaughtering most of its crew. Alissa Vincent, the USG Ishimura's Chief Security Officer, sacrifices her life to activate and launch the ship's distress beacon during the attack.

- The CEC dispatches a repair vessel, the USG Kellion, to investigate the USG Ishimura's distress beacon. The Illusive Man uses his significant influence over the company to make Kendra Daniels, the Cerberus operative in charge of Project Morrigan, a member of the USG Kellion's crew. Isaac Clarke volunteers for the repair mission, hoping to find his girlfriend, Nicole Brennan, who is serving aboard the USG Ishimura as its Senior Medical Officer. A Cerberus cruiser, the Valor, is sent to Aegis VII to aid Kendra in recovering the Red Marker from the USG Ishimura.

- The USG Kellion is heavily damaged when the USG Ishimura's automatic docking systems fail, causing it to crash into the hangar. The repair crew comes under attack by necromorphs, forcing them to split up and flee deeper into the USG Ishimura. Only Isaac Clarke, Kendra Daniels and Zach Hammond, the USG Kellion's Chief Security Officer, make it out alive. Separated from his other crewmates, Isaac is tasked with repairing the USG Ishimura's core systems while fighting his way through hordes of necromorphs. The Valor arrives on the scene a few hours later and meets the same fate as the USG Ishimura, getting infested and overrun by necromorphs. It collides with the planet cracker and is destroyed, causing major structural damage to the ship. Isaac, Kendra and Hammond decide to abandon the disintegrating USG Ishimura.

- Isaac Clarke manages to get a shuttle operational, but Zach Hammond is killed by a necromorph while assisting him in the repairs. The USG Ishimura's Chief Science Officer, Doctor Terrence Kyne, contacts Isaac and urges him to return the Red Marker to Aegis VII. He reveals that the planet crack released a gigantic necromorph called the Hive Mind which subsequently infected both the colony and the USG Ishimura, and theorizes that the Red Marker acted as an inhibitor. Doctor Kyne believes that returning it to the planet's surface will cause all of the necromorphs to enter a dormant state, thus ending the threat of the undead organisms. Isaac and Doctor Kyne load the Red Marker onto the shuttle, but Kendra Daniels kills Doctor Kyne before they can take off. She reveals her allegiance to Cerberus and her mission to retrieve the Red Marker for the organization, seizing control of the shuttle and leaving Isaac behind on the USG Ishimura to die.

- Isaac Clarke reunites with Nicole Brennan and together, they manage to recall the shuttle, forcing Kendra Daniels to abandon it in an escape pod. They take the shuttle and bring the Red Marker back to Aegis VII where it begins to pacify the Hive Mind, although its activation also disrupts the USG Ishimura's gravity tethers. As the gigantic land mass being tethered to the ship falls back to the planet's surface, Kendra makes her way back to the Red Marker and removes it, once again releasing the Hive Mind from the artifact's inhibiting influence. She reveals the fact that Nicole committed suicide long before Isaac arrived on the USG Ishimura, and a devastated Isaac realizes that the Marker had been manipulating him with hallucinations of Nicole all along. The Hive Mind kills Kendra as she tries to escape with the Red Marker, but Isaac is able to slay the massive necromorph. Isaac escapes in the shuttle just as the land mass crashes back into Aegis VII, ravaging the surface of the planet and destroying the Red Marker. As he tries to depart for Earth, a twisted hallucination of Nicole assaults Isaac in the shuttle and renders him unconscious.

- Alarmed by the loss of both the USG Ishimura and the USG Kellion, the CEC dispatches the USG O'Bannon, a salvage and recovery vessel, to Aegis VII. The Illusive Man orders the CEC to remain silent about its 2 missing ships, and sends another Cerberus cruiser, the Abraxis, to search for the Red Marker alongside the USG O'Bannon.

- The USG O'Bannon arrives over Aegis VII and discovers that the planet is breaking up. It also locates the heavily-damaged USG Ishimura in orbit. A repair crew boards the planet cracker and finds it completely empty. When it is clear that the Red Marker is not on board the USG Ishimura, several teams are sent to the planet's surface to search for it. A shard of the Red Marker is found and brought aboard the USG O'Bannon, just as the highly unstable Aegis VII explodes. The resulting shockwave and debris strike the ship, severely damaging it and killing many of its crew. While the survivors struggle to repair the USG O'Bannon, the Marker shard manipulates Nolan Stross, the ship's Chief Science Officer, into infecting the body of a dead crew member with the necromorph pathogen. The necromorph infection quickly spreads to the entire ship, leaving only a handful of survivors fighting for their lives.

- Nolan Stross is among the survivors, and theorizes that the destruction of the Marker shard will end the necromorph threat. The group fights their way into the engine room and throws the Marker shard into the ship's FTL drive core, causing a discharge of energy which destroys all of the necromorphs on board the ship. The Abraxis arrives and rescues the survivors from the crippled USG O'Bannon before destroying it. The Cerberus cruiser also picks up a shuttle containing an unconscious Isaac Clarke. With the Red Marker destroyed and Kendra Daniels dead, The Illusive Man shuts down Project Morrigan. Project Persephone is set up in its place, and is tasked with interrogating and studying the survivors of the Aegis VII incident. The CEC recovers the USG Ishimura and brings it back to Titan Station for repairs. Cerberus forces the CEC to release a statement, blaming Unitologist terrorists for attacking the USG Ishimura and massacring all of its crew. Cerberus then releases a statement of its own, claiming that 2 of its cruisers came to the aid of the USG Ishimura and defeated the terrorists, taking several of them prisoner.

- The Church of Unitology vehemently denies its involvement in the attack on the USG Ishimura, but Cerberus fabricates evidence of the attack, presenting the Systems Alliance with footage showing Unitologists murdering the crew, as well as confessions made by the Unitologists who were taken prisoner. The evidence is damning, but the Systems Alliance is both unwilling and unable to trust Cerberus, choosing to give the Church of Unitology the benefit of the doubt and officially declaring the events which transpired on Aegis VII and the USG Ishimura a mystery. However, the Systems Alliance begins placing the Church of Unitology under greater scrutiny, conducting frequent investigations on its activities and raids on its premises. In response, the Church of Unitology adopts an anti-Systems Alliance stance, organizing many protests across Citadel Space. A group of especially violent and fanatical Unitologists, led by Jacob Danik, form a militarized and extremist arm of the Church of Unitology known as The Circle.

- Naomi Shepard's body is recovered by Blue Suns mercenaries for the Shadow Broker, who has been hired by the Collectors. Cerberus eventually obtains the body with the help of Liara T'Soni and begins work on Project Lazarus, spending the next 2 years and a significant portion of its resources in an attempt to bring Shepard back to life.

- L4 biotic implants are developed.

- 2 months after the Battle of the Citadel, galactic society is still in flux over the changes to the Citadel Council and kept unaware of the true nature of Sovereign, the Citadel, and the mass relays. Like the Citadel Council, Cerberus maintains its veil of secrecy over the truth, keeping the rest of the galaxy in the dark about the discovery of the Red Marker on Aegis VII.

- The Alliance Navy dispatches several special forces units to aid the colony of Fehl Prime, which is under attack by Blood Pack mercenary forces. Most units are shot down before landing, but Delta Squad survives and defeats the Blood Pack. The Alliance Navy assigns Delta Squad to guard the colony.

2284 CE

- The Eden Prime War comes to a close. Although most Geth forces in Citadel space were destroyed in the Battle of the Citadel, holdouts yet remain. The Alliance Navy reduces its patrols, relying instead on civilian ships to report any Geth activity. Raids are carried out against identified Geth outposts, but the conflict is essentially over.

- Project Persephone, based on Titan Station and led by its Director, Hans Tiedemann, discovers the Marker code imprinted in the minds of Isaac Clarke and Nolan Stross. Utilizing the NoonTech Diagnostic Machine, Cerberus researchers extract the Marker blueprints and, building upon the remains of Doctor Serrano's research, secretly begin construction of a Red Marker on Titan Station.

- The Circle attacks and destroys Gagarin Station, slaughtering all of its 9,000 inhabitants. The Church of Unitology condemns the attack and joins the Systems Alliance in labeling the extremist group as a terrorist organisation. Secretly, the Church of Unitology funds and supports The Circle, allowing it to continue its attacks on Systems Alliance facilities and personnel across Citadel space. In the following months, The Circle claims responsibility for dozens of suicide bombings and assassinations.

- L5 biotic implants are developed.

2285 CE

**- **Fehl Prime is attacked by the Collectors after a Cerberus agent hoping to discover their intentions signals them. Most of Delta Squad is lost during the battle for the colony, but they succeed in disabling the Collector ship. Delta Squad member James Vega chooses to rescue an Asari who possessed vital data on the Collectors, leaving the other colonists to die aboard the Collector ship when it crashes on the planet's surface.

- Project Lazarus is a success, and Naomi Shepard is revived. She is tasked by The Illusive Man to investigate the mysterious disappearances of entire human colonies in the Terminus Systems. Investigation of the attacked colony of Freedom's Progress reveals that the enigmatic Collectors from beyond the Omega 4 Relay are responsible for the disappearances. Shepard begrudgingly agrees to work with Cerberus in order to stop the Collectors, and travels across the galaxy to assemble a team for her mission. Cerberus gives Shepard command of the Normandy SR-2, a stealth frigate based on the original SSV Normandy's design.

- The Red Marker on Titan Station is completed. Daina Le Guin, a high-ranking Unitologist and expert computer hacker, infiltrates the Cerberus network on Titan Station and gains access to information about Project Persephone. The Church of Unitology learns about the Red Marker found on Aegis VII, the successful attempt by Cerberus to replicate it, and the Marker code locked away in the minds of Isaac Clarke and Nolan Stross. Knowing that the Red Marker is too heavily-guarded to steal, Daina decides to capture Isaac and Stross instead, and use their knowledge of the Marker code to build Markers for the Church of Unitology. Before Daina can execute her plan, the Red Marker is activated and quickly causes widespread violence and insanity amongst the inhabitants of Titan Station. A necromorph infection takes hold of the entire space station and the situation spirals out of control, prompting Hans Tiedemann to contact The Illusive Man for help.

- The Illusive Man sends Naomi Shepard to Titan Station, tasking her with recovering the Red Marker. Shepard and her crew initially attempt to evacuate the space station, but the severity of the necromorph outbreak quickly makes their mission impossible. Shepard later encounters and helps Isaac Clarke to defeat the Unitologists who are trying to capture him. Isaac joins Shepard and her crew, fighting their way through hordes of necromorphs and the Cerberus troops under Hans Tiedemann's command to breach the Government Sector, where Isaac eventually destroys the Red Marker, putting an end to the necromorph outbreak but causing the catastrophic and total destruction of Titan Station.

- After assembling a capable team, Naomi Shepard uses a captured Reaper IFF to safely traverse the relay and launch an assault on the Collector base. Shepard succeeds in eliminating the Collector threat, saving Humanity throughout the galaxy from certain destruction.

- Following a lead provided by Cerberus, Naomi Shepard helps Liara T'Soni locate the Shadow Broker's base on the planet Hagalaz. They enlist the help of Isaac Clarke to infiltrate the base, which is actually a giant vessel concealed in Hagalaz's atmosphere. The Shadow Broker, exposed as a Yahg, is killed. Liara takes control of the Shadow Broker's organization, intending to use the Shadow Broker's vast information network to aid Shepard's fight against the Reapers.

2286 CE

- Tasked by Admiral Steven Hackett, Naomi Shepard covertly infiltrates a Batarian prison on Aratoht and rescues Doctor Amanda Kenson. Shepard learns from Kenson that the Reapers are en route to the Bahak system's mass relay, the Alpha Relay, from which they can invade the galaxy. Shepard uses an asteroid to destroy the relay. The entire Bahak system and its thousands of Batarian inhabitants are obliterated, but the Reaper invasion is delayed. During its confrontation with Shepard, Harbinger learns about the Red Marker she destroyed and realizes that the Brethren Moons are still alive.

- Admiral David Anderson travels to Omega to recruit James Vega to guard Naomi Shepard as she is taken to trial for the destruction of the Bahak system. The Normandy SR-2 is turned over to the Systems Alliance, which performs extensive upgrades and retrofits on the vessel, renaming it the SSV Normandy SR-2.**  
**

- Believing that the Red Markers will be a potent weapon against the imminent Reaper invasion, The Illusive Man sets up Project Azrael, Hades, Anubis and Naraka to secretly build Red Markers on several Human colonies. Cerberus begins to research the effects of the Red Markers on organics, abducting many colonists and subjecting them to the Red Marker's influence. The Illusive Man's ultimate goal is to 'perfect' the Marker signal and turn the Red Markers into devices capable of transforming organics into powerful, immortal beings instead of causing insanity and necromorphs.

- Aria T'Loak defends Omega from Adjutants unleashed by Cerberus. The Adjutants distract Aria from Cerberus's true plan, which is to conquer Omega and maintain exclusive access to the Omega 4 Relay. Aria realizes this and unites the disparate gangs and mercenaries of the station to repel the Cerberus invaders, but is outsmarted by Cerberus General Oleg Petrovsky. When he threatens to destroy Omega, Aria accepts exile and Cerberus takes control of the station.

**-** 6 months after the destruction of the Alpha Relay, the Reapers invade the galaxy through Batarian space and attack Earth. Naomi Shepard escapes and discovers a Prothean superweapon design on Mars that could end the Reapers' threat once and for all. To build this weapon and take back Earth, Shepard and her allies embark on a journey to unite the various races in the midst of a galaxy-wide war.

- As the Reapers continue their harvest across the galaxy, Unitology gains billions of new followers. In the face of certain galactic annihilation, the frantic and desperate masses turn to Unitology and its message of rebirth after death. Jacob Danik leads The Circle to attack Cerberus' Marker research facilities, viewing the organization's experimentation on the Red Markers as heresy. In the process, they slaughter countless innocents and expose entire colonies to the effects of the Red Markers, causing necromorph outbreaks and the deaths of millions.

- Damara Carver, a data archaeologist working for the Shadow Broker, discovers a data cache on the planet of Uxor which dates back to the era of the Sovereign Colonies and the Succession War. She reconstructs the data and learns about a massive SCAF expedition which was launched during the closing days of the war. Further investigations reveal that the SCAF expedition managed to locate the source of the Marker signals. Believing that her discovery could potentially put an end to the threat of the Red Markers, as well as The Circle's bloody crusade across the galaxy, Damara contacts the Shadow Broker and requests for assistance.

- Liara T'Soni informs the Systems Alliance about Damara Carver's discovery. Recognizing the data's importance, the Alliance Navy assembles a task force codenamed 'The Last Battalion' under the command of Captain Robert Norton. Based on the stealth frigate SSV Eudora, The Last Battalion is dispatched to Uxor to secure both Damara Carver and her data. The Circle learns of the discovery and launches a brutal assault on the colony, intending to obtain the data for the Church of Unitology. A battle breaks out between The Last Battalion and The Circle, culminating in the loss of the colony when Jacob Danik causes a necromorph outbreak by destroying the Cerberus Marker research facility on Uxor. Damara is killed, but The Last Battalion is able to secure her data. Sergeant John Carver, an Alliance marine stationed on Uxor, joins The Last Battalion in order to avenge his wife's death.

- The Systems Alliance studies the data and learns about the location of Tau Volantis. It immediately tasks The Last Battalion with launching an expedition to the remote planet and destroying the source of the Marker signals. Ellie Langford, Isaac Clarke's close friend and fellow survivor of the necromorph outbreak on Titan Station, becomes part of The Last Battalion's mission to Tau Volantis. Ellie discovers that a significant portion of the data remains undecipherable, due to it being written in the Marker language. Concerned that the data could prove critical to the success of the mission, and aware of Isaac's ability to understand the Marker code, Ellie attempts to enlist his help in translating the data. Pursued relentlessly by The Circle and running out of time, Ellie and her squad are forced to split up from the rest of The Last Battalion and make the journey to Tau Volantis without them. Before she departs, Ellie instructs Robert Norton and John Carver to find Isaac before joining her on Tau Volantis. Soon after her ship passes through the mass relay, the SSV Eudora loses contact with Ellie and her squad.

- The Last Battalion enlists the help of the Shadow Broker to find Isaac Clarke and discovers that he is in hiding on the Citadel. Naomi Shepard learns about The Last Battalion's mission from Liara T'Soni and decides to join the search for Isaac, concerned that The Circle would try to kill him. Shepard's fears are realized when The Circle follows The Last Battalion to the Citadel and launches a brazen assault on the space station. Although The Circle wipes out the majority of The Last Battalion during the battle, it ultimately fails to kill Isaac, who escapes aboard the SSV Eudora with the aid of Shepard and John Carver. Warships from The Circle give chase and attempt to bring down the SSV Eudora, but the timely arrival of the SSV Normandy SR-2 allows both frigates to evade their pursuers and make the jump to FTL. Shepard and her crew decide to join The Last Battalion and travel to Tau Volantis.

- The SSV Eudora and SSV Normandy SR-2 arrive over Tau Volantis. The treacherous minefield and debris scattered around Tau Volantis destroys the SSV Eudora and damages the SSV Normandy SR-2 moments after the two frigates exit the mass relay. The remaining members of The Last Battalion rendezvous with Ellie Langford and her squad on the CMS Roanoke, one of the derelict SCAF warships in orbit over Tau Volantis. Isaac Clarke investigates Marker inscriptions on the CMS Roanoke and discovers descriptions of a machine which can control the Markers, along with commands to 'turn it off'. Ellie concludes that Tau Volantis is indeed the Marker home world. Shepard orders that the SSV Normandy SR-2 be repaired so that they can make the descent to the planet's surface, find the machine and destroy it to stop the Marker signals. Robert Norton disagrees and speaks out urgently in favor of escaping to safety instead. Shepard invokes her Spectre status but Norton challenges her for command of The Last Battalion. Their altercation and brief fight is interrupted by a massive necromorph attack which forces the group to split up. After the necromorphs have been dealt with, they regroup and most of The Last Battalion supports Shepard's plan to continue the mission. The Last Battalion explores the other SCAF vessels in orbit, the CMS Greely, CMS Terra Nova and CMS Brusilov, searching for additional clues and information to aid them in their mission, as well as to salvage the wrecks for parts to repair the SSV Normandy SR-2.

- The SSV Normandy SR-2 makes the descent to the surface of Tau Volantis, but the harsh conditions and debris in its atmosphere almost destroy the ship. It crashes into an abandoned SCAF base, scattering The Last Battalion across the planet's surface. Jacob Danik and The Circle arrive over Tau Volantis on The Hand of the Prophet, a Unitologist cruiser. Robert Norton betrays The Last Battalion, revealing its location to The Circle in exchange for safe passage off Tau Volantis and transport back to Citadel Space. Hunted by necromorphs, haunted by Marker hallucinations, hindered by freezing blizzards and forced to fend off repeated attacks by The Circle, The Last Battalion struggles to piece together information left behind by Doctor Earl Serrano and the ill-fated SCAF expedition. Isaac Clarke eventually discovers the truth about the Markers, the Brethren Moons and Convergence, and leads The Last Battalion to the machine located deep underground in a massive alien city. There, they find recordings made by Doctor Serrano which contain instructions on how to operate the machine. The Last Battalion fights its way through the ancient alien necromorphs stalking the ruins and succeeds in restoring power to the machine. A final, massive battle between The Last Battalion and The Circle breaks out at the machine's core. Despite the best efforts of The Last Battalion, Danik is able to turn off the machine and resume the Convergence event.

- The Brethren Moon over Tau Volantis is finally freed and it begins to consume the planet, making itself whole. The SSV Normandy SR-2 evacuates The Last Battalion as the cataclysmic Convergence event continues. Naomi Shepard, Isaac Clarke and John Carver remain behind, attempting to restart the machine. They are dragged into the heart of the Brethren Moon when the planet-sized organism absorbs the disintegrating alien city and machine into its growing mass. They battle the Brethren Moon and finally manage to activate the machine, stopping the Convergence event and causing the Brethren Moon to crash into Tau Volantis along with the remains of the alien city. The SSV Normandy SR-2 races to rescue Shepard, Isaac and Carver, but is ultimately forced to abandon them when the massive shockwave from the collision between the Brethren Moon and Tau Volantis threatens to destroy the ship.

- Naomi Shepard, Isaac Clarke and John Carver survive the battle with the Brethren Moon and find themselves stranded on the surface of Tau Volantis. As they traverse the frozen landscape, the trio realize that the Marker signal is still active. They decide to board and repair the CMS Terra Nova, one of the derelict SCAF warships in orbit over Tau Volantis, and use it to return to Citadel Space. Slowly slipping into Marker-wrought insanity, Shepard, Isaac and Carver fight their way through the remnants of The Circle who have taken refuge inside the CMS Terra Nova and begun a cult which worships the Brethren Moons. During their final confrontation with The Prophet, the cult's leader and macabre servant of the Brethren Moons, Carver is killed while Shepard and Isaac are both seriously wounded. They learn from The Prophet that the Brethren Moons have been awakened and are already attacking Earth. Despite their wounds, Shepard and Isaac eventually restore power to the CMS Terra Nova's FTL drive core and depart for Earth to investigate The Prophet's claims. When they arrive, they find the Reapers in battle against the Brethren Moons, fighting for dominance over the galaxy.

* * *

**- Section B -**

Technology

***AUTHOR'S NOTES***

**1. **This section will go into detail about the various technologies which play an important role in the Mass Effect and Dead Space crossover universe.

* * *

**Kinesis and stasis modules**

The kinesis and stasis modules function just like they do in Dead Space. They allow the user to slow down and manipulate objects without touching them, granting a small degree of biotic ability to the user. A person wielding the kinesis and stasis modules are able to use biotic abilities like Pull, Throw, and Stasis. Of course, the power level of biotic abilities performed using the kinesis and stasis modules pale in comparison to what actual, natural biotics can achieve. For example, if Isaac Clarke were to use his stasis module to hit a necromorph with a Stasis attack, the necromorph will be slowed down. However, if a natural and talented biotic like Liara T'Soni were to use an actual Stasis attack on the same necromorph, that necromorph will be immobilized completely. As such, the kinesis and stasis modules are not widely used in warfare, as they do not have the necessary power to make a significant impact on the battlefield. It is only during the Reaper invasion in 2286 CE that more powerful versions of the kinesis and stasis modules are created and given to troops across the galaxy, giving soldiers on the front lines like John Carver and Naomi Shepard an edge against the relentless Reaper and necromorph hordes.

**Medi-gel**

The medi-gel from Mass Effect plays the same role as the medical packs from Dead Space, and will function as this crossover universe's official item used to treat injuries. Medi-gel works exactly like it does in Mass Effect, sealing wounds and preventing blood-loss and infection until proper medical attention and aid can be administered to the injured individual.

**Resource Integration Gear (RIG) and omnitools**

In the Mass Effect and Dead Space crossover universe, the RIG and omnitool function together in pairs, and are ubiquitous throughout society. There are both civilian-grade and military-grade RIGs and omnitools, but they share several key functions and features. Probably the most notable feature of Dead Space, the most distinctive feature of the RIG is its health management system which actively displays the wearer's health in real time via a segmented colored bar that runs along the spine of the wearer. The omnitool can be considered the 'face' of Mass Effect's technology, and will serve a similar purpose in this crossover universe as a handheld device with a vast range of functions which include communication, navigation and hacking. The engineering suit which Isaac wears will be equipped with an omnitool in addition to the health bar along its spine, and Naomi Shepard's combat armor will also have a similar health bar in addition to her military-grade omnitool.

**Faster-than-light (FTL) travel**

Spacefaring vessels in this crossover will utilize element zero, mass effect technology, and the mass relay network to accomplish FTL travel. The Shock Point Drive and its associated technologies from Dead Space do not exist in this crossover universe. One interesting point to note, however, is that the Shock Point Drive, Shock Rings and Shock Beacons from Dead Space all bear remarkable similarities to how FTL travel is achieved in Mass Effect. The Shock Point Drive can be compared to the FTL drive cores which utilize mass effect physics, and the Shock Rings and Shock Beacons can be compared to the mass relay network.

* * *

**- Section C -**

Commander Naomi Shepard

***AUTHOR'S NOTES***

**1. **This section will provide some details about Naomi Shepard, the female Commander Shepard who appears in this story.

* * *

**Name:** Naomi Shepard

**Gender:** Female

**Alignment:** Paragon

**Class:** Soldier

**Background:** Spacer / War Hero

**Appearance: **She is basically the default femshep who appears in Mass Effect 3. Naomi Shepard has red hair, green eyes, is 172 cm tall and weighs 57 kg.

**Love interests: **Kaiden Alenko in Mass Effect 1 and Garrus Vakarian in Mass Effect 2.

**Decisions in Mass Effect 1: **Kaiden Alenko died on Virmire. Ashley Williams and Urdnot Wrex survived. The last Rachni Queen was spared. The Citadel Council was saved during the Battle of the Citadel. David Anderson was nominated to become the Human representative on the Citadel Council.

**Decisions in Mass Effect 2 (**up until the events of this story**): **All team members were recruited and all of their loyalty missions completed. Kasumi kept her Graybox. Garrus spared Sidonis. Mordin saved the Genophage cure. Samara killed Morinth. Tali was exonerated and the Quarians were encouraged not to go to war against the Geth. Legion rewrote the Geth Heretics. Zaeed was forced to save the trapped refinery workers on Zorya but still managed to kill Vido. David was released from Project Overlord.

* * *

Well, that's about it for this intermission chapter! I really hoped that you enjoyed it and now have a better idea as to how everything from both games tie in together to form this awesome crossover universe! This chapter was a blast to write, world-building and lore-crafting really tickles my pickles. I'll be seeing you guys in the next chapter! Gibbering Gemstone signing out!


	9. Tormented

**MASS EFFECT: PROJECT PERSEPHONE**

* * *

**Chapter 9: T**ormented

**Location: Titan Station Hospital, East Wing, Asylum, 1350 hrs**

**Isaac Clarke**

"What the hell was that?" Isaac asked warily. The amount of caution being displayed by Shepard and her squadmates was making him nervous. The Commander had her assault rifle drawn and Miranda was grasping her sub-machine gun tightly. Shepard's heavy pistol in his hands felt tiny by comparison.

"Shepard?" Garrus called out, aiming his flashlight up at a spot somewhere above them. Isaac couldn't really see what lay beyond his cell, but he had no intention of stepping out to see what the Turian was so concerned about. This was practically a military operation, and he was just a civilian! If he was going to do anything, it would be following Commander Shepard's lead.

"What is it, Garrus?" Shepard inched closer to the entrance of his cell, assault rifle still raised and at the ready.

"There's a lot of movement out here, Shepard. I think that the natives are getting restless."

"We should leave, Commander. This is hardly a defensible position if we get attacked," Miranda informed her, clear blue eyes darting from one darkened corner to the next.

"Okay, we're moving out!" Shepard announced, striding back into the cell and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Isaac, stay close. We're getting out of here."

"Wait a minute. Where are we going? Why is it no longer safe? What-"

Isaac felt the breath catch in his throat when the redhead leaned in close and stared deep into his eyes. He could see an emotion reflected in her eyes, an emotion which seemed so frighteningly out of place. Fear. Commander Shepard was afraid.

"Isaac, I need you to trust me okay? We have no more time for explanations. Right now, we're all in terrible, terrible danger."

Shepard finished her warning just as all hell broke loose, right on cue.

An ear-splitting scream cut through the air, marking the beginning of absolute chaos. Sounds of shattering glass came next, accompanied by a series of terrifying, unholy roars and howls. A loud alarm began to blare, red warning lights flashing erratically. Garrus and Miranda snapped to attention, bringing their weapons up and immediately letting loose with a barrage of gunfire which filled the small cell with bright, disorienting flashes of light. Isaac could see the Turian's eyes widen, his mandibles flaring as he shouted a single word of warning to his Commander.

"Incoming!"

Shepard flew into motion, seizing Isaac by the arm and dragging him over to the entrance of his cell, rapidly shouting out frantic orders to her squad as she did so. Isaac let out an indignant shout, feeling incredibly annoyed that he was being manhandled by a girl, and tried rather unsuccessfully to yank his arm out of her vice-like grip. His eyes widened in disbelief when, even with a fierce tug, he was unable to loosen the redhead's hold on him. Shepard's arm felt like coiled steel, and she seemed to be possessing strength which was completely disproportionate to her size.

"Hey!"

His arm was starting to feel sore and Isaac cursed, voicing out his discomfort and demanding for Shepard to let go of him. Unfortunately, he was drowned out by the continued sounds of gunfire and ghastly screams, and even if she had heard him, Shepard paid him no mind. A particularly loud screech made him wince and temporarily cease his struggles. What the hell was going on?

Isaac's questions were answered when they reached the entrance to his cell. Shepard finally let go of his arm, turning to engage in a hurried conversation with Garrus and Miranda who were now huddled against the wall. Isaac hissed as he rubbed his bruised limb, the breath catching in his throat when he saw the nightmarish scene which was playing out in front of him.

"Holy shit..."

There was blood, a lot of it, coating and almost painting the floors and walls with red. Glass shards, dead bodies and debris littered the blood-streaked ground, and several vaguely humanoid shapes could be seen rampaging about in the main hallway outside his cell. At first, Isaac thought that he had walked into the middle of a violent riot, but the intermittent flashes from the alarm and various flickering lights in the hallway quickly revealed something much, much worse.

Over a dozen grotesque, misshapen creatures were running amok, stabbing and dismembering the corpses which were strewn about the hallway with bloody claws and blades. Their forms resembled that of ordinary Humans, but their anatomy and features were those of monsters. The creatures were dressed in tattered, bloody rags and their bodies were contorted and twisted by horrific mutations. Their backs were hunched, warped bones and muscles bursting forth from rips in their flesh to form a set of extra limbs which sprouted from their shoulders and ended in cruelly-sharp and jagged points. Their faces were severely deformed and skull-like, split open to reveal gaping maws from which unearthly, unnerving howls and screams emanated.

Isaac then caught sight of the cells which lined both sides of the hallway. They were very similar to his in both size and appearance, and the only observable difference was that instead of having walls made of metal, these cells kept their prisoners contained with large glass panels. Although the glass was most probably reinforced and therefore more than capable of keeping the prisoners in, it was completely incapable of keeping the attacking monsters out. Isaac watched, horrified, as one of the creatures smashed its way through the glass with just a swing of its mutated arms and immediately pounced on the cell's occupant with a blood-curdling screech, driving its hideous appendages repeatedly into the unfortunate soul's chest. Its target let out a terrified scream as he went down, flailing and convulsing horribly, spurts of crimson jetting into the air and spraying across the cell's walls.

Isaac stood stock-still, frozen in place with shock and unable to believe what he was seeing. This could not be happening! This had to be some kind of sick nightmare!

"I'm taking point! Miranda, cover our flank! Garrus, you're the rear guard!"

Shepard's shouting finally caused Isaac to come to his senses and tear his eyes away from the macabre sight in the hallway. That, and the fact that she had once again placed his arm in her crushing grip. Isaac winced, and the redhead let go of his arm once she saw the pained look on his face.

"We're going to make a run for it!" She bellowed, trying desperately to make herself heard over the cacophony of alarms and monstrous screams. "Stay on my ass, and don't stop for anything, you got that?!"

Isaac opened his mouth to reply, but he was unable to form any words. His throat was incredibly dry and he felt numb all over. There was a sick feeling in his gut which got even worse when he glanced back at the bloody carnage outside his cell. Once he had gotten over most of the initial shock and revulsion, Isaac could not help but feel that there was something disturbingly familiar about all of this. Suddenly and without warning, morbid images of bloodied, dismembered corpses flashed through his mind, making him gasp in shock and pain. Isaac shook his head and blinked rapidly, trying to get rid of the splitting pain in his head. What did all this mean? Had he seen or experienced something like this before? He swallowed hard and turned back to Shepard, unable to suppress the shiver which ran through his body.

"ISAAC!"

Overwhelming urgency filled her emerald-green eyes, and her pretty features had been tempered and rearranged into a fierce scowl. It was like someone had flipped a switch and turned Shepard into an entirely different person. With her entire body tensed up, poised and ready to strike, her back to the cell's wall and assault rifle gripped tight in both armored hands, flaming red hair whipping about her face, Shepard looked every bit like the legendary warrior goddess that the galaxy made her out to be.

"Yeah! Yeah, I got it!"

"Good!" Shepard swapped out her assault rifle in favor of her shotgun, hefting the impressive-looking piece of military hardware up with one hand and slamming in a new thermal clip with the other, her eyes never leaving his face as she loaded and readied the weapon. "Hang on to that and shoot anything that gets close!" She shouted, jabbing a finger at the heavy pistol in his hand. Isaac nodded dumbly in response, wrapping his other hand around the weapon's grip. Everything was progressing much too quickly for his tortured mind to absorb, and the throbbing pain in his head caused by his latest flashback was of no help either.

Shepard must have sensed his uneasiness, for she gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder and flashed him a small, mischievous smile. "Don't worry, Isaac. The safety's off."

That almost got him smirking in amusement, if not for the sudden appearance of a particularly gruesome creature directly behind Shepard. The ghastly monstrosity was missing half of its face, thanks to several thick, writhing tentacles which had forced their way through its throat and out of its eye sockets, causing its eyeballs to dangle disgustingly out of its skull. Even more disturbingly, the tentacles appeared to be originating from a grayish mass of pulsating flesh housed within the thing's bloated stomach, revealed by a gaping slash wound across its abdomen. Isaac felt like retching when he realized that the tentacles were actually part of the monster's mutated intestines, but his disgust at its dreadful appearance was quickly forgotten when the horrific creature reared back, giving rise to a terrible howl as it lunged at Shepard with its bloody blade-like arms.

"LOOK OUT!"

Isaac's horrified expression was the only warning that Shepard needed. By the time those two words had left his mouth, she had already spun around to face her attacker and pulled the trigger, blasting the creature backwards in a massive shower of blood and sending it crashing lifelessly to the ground in a mangled heap. Isaac watched, wide-eyed, as Shepard fired her shotgun again with a deafening boom, throwing the creature's corpse halfway across the hallway like a rag doll. It impacted a pillar with a loud crunch, breaking up into several wet, bloody pieces which continued to roll and tumble across the blood-streaked ground.

Isaac cringed. The sick feeling in his gut intensified.

The creature's dismembered torso came to rest with a splat near one of the shattered cells, where two equally grotesque monsters were currently in the midst of eviscerating a screaming prisoner. As one of them slashed its way through the unfortunate man's spine and bisected him at the waist, the other decapitated him with a jagged blade to the neck, causing his dying screams to end abruptly in a gurgle. His executioners then raised their hideous, malformed heads to investigate the chunk of meat outside the cell, their unhallowed gazes seemingly following the trail of blood it had left behind.

Fuck.

Isaac felt his blood run cold when a pair of milky-white eyes focused on him. The creatures snarled, rising up on their twisted legs and slowly stalking toward his cell with awkward, jerky movements. They looked just like predatory animals, vicious and wild, their slavering jaws snapping and blackened, elongated teeth gnashing together. Suddenly and without warning, the monsters roared and broke into a sprint, bladed arms swinging menacingly. Shepard swiftly leveled her shotgun at the rapidly approaching horrors and pulled the trigger, cursing loudly as hot smoke billowed out of her weapon.

"Shit, I'm out! I need to reload! Garrus, you're up!" At her command, the heavily-scarred Turian shouldered his sniper rifle, aimed briefly through the scope and fired twice in rapid succession. Two perfect head shots. The monsters crumpled to the ground in mid-stride, their heads having burst open like blood-filled balloons.

Isaac just stared at the alien marksman, completely blown away by his skill. Shepard slapped her squadmate on the shoulder and gave him an appreciative nod. "Nice shooting."

Garrus returned it with the Turian equivalent of a smirk, his eyes twinkling in amusement. "Really, Shepard? 'Nice shooting?' Is that all I'm getting?"

"Commander! Behind you!"

Turning to see what Miranda was pointing at, Isaac nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of two headless corpses staggering to their feet. Acting purely on instinct and driven by a potent combination of fear and adrenaline, Isaac found himself bringing up the heavy pistol and firing off six shots at point-blank range, all of which struck the nearest monster in the torso. The impact of the first five bullets tore into its body and spun it around, while the remaining bullet served as the coup de grâce, slamming into its back and shattering its spine. Shepard and Garrus quickly joined in and fired at the shambling corpses, their far more powerful weapons blowing large holes in the undead creatures and tearing off entire limbs in the process. When all of their thermal clips had been expended, two shredded and broken bodies lay in unrecognizable pieces on the ground. They did not rise again.

"What the fuck! Did you see that? DID YOU SEE THAT?"

Shepard was about to reply to Isaac's outburst when a macabre chorus of howls made the noise die in her throat. Attracted by the sounds of gunfire, five more creatures were stalking toward the cell with their bladed appendages raised, a horrifying look of hunger and insanity frozen on each of their pale, bloodied faces.

"I think now would be a good time to, what do you Humans call it, haul ass?" Garrus called out, tilting his sniper rifle to the side and ejecting the spent thermal clip. A fresh one was quickly inserted to take its place, but Isaac could not help but notice a slightly disconcerting fact. The ammo compartment on Garrus' armor was now almost empty, housing only a single thermal clip. A quick glance at Shepard made him feel even more uneasy. How were they going to fight their way out of this? Her squad was running dangerously low on ammo, and there could be an entire horde of creatures in the way! If it had taken that much firepower just to kill three...

"Sorry, Zaeed." Shepard unclipped a grenade from her waist, gazing at it with a wry smile as she felt its weight in her hand. "I know I promised you that I will save this for Harbinger-"

The redhead ripped the pin out of the spherical explosive and let it fly.

"-but this is a goddamn emergency."

The grenade clattered to the ground, flashing and beeping rapidly. Their monstrous adversaries appeared to have not noticed it landing in front of them and simply continued on their slow march of death. They only had murder on their minds and moved forward like automatons to fulfill their single task of bloody slaughter.

"Go! Go!" Shepard yelled, pulling her free arm back and swinging it forward in the universal military hand signal for 'advance'. She charged out of the cell, greeting the lead monster with a shotgun blast to the chest and sending it crashing into its fellows, bringing the entire group down atop the grenade in a pile of flailing mutated limbs. Isaac, still stunned by the extremely violent and disturbing events which had taken place in the past few seconds, hesitated to follow her and was rewarded with a shove from a scowling Miranda.

"Move it!" She snapped, shooting him a venomous glare which Isaac returned as he stumbled out of the cell.

"Hey, fuck off-" Isaac began, a second before the grenade went off.

The shockwave from the explosion knocked the wind out of his lungs and threw him to the ground. Bright lights exploded in front of his eyes and a harsh cry escaped his lips as his head made contact with the hard ground, sending a bolt of pain shooting through his left temple. His vision was blurry, everything was swimming in and out of focus and there was an incessant ringing in his ears. Isaac groaned and put a hand to the side of his head, feeling completely disoriented. When he pulled it away, he could see fresh red blood coating his fingertips.

A gloved hand seized his wrist and yanked him up, practically dragging him to his feet. Isaac thought it was Shepard at first, but then he caught sight of raven hair, blue eyes and a white bodysuit. Damn it, he was being manhandled by a girl. Again.

"Oh for the love of..." Miranda sighed in exasperation as Isaac stumbled against her and placed a hand on her shoulder for support, trying to regain his balance. "Come on, get a hold of yourself! And hands off!" She jabbed a finger into his chest to push him away, a look of disgust and annoyance on her face.

"Are you normally this bitchy, or is it just me?" Isaac glowered at Miranda, muttering curses under his breath. His sight and hearing were still severely affected by the explosion, but she didn't give him a chance to recover before slamming a hand into his back to force him onward.

Isaac moved like he was in a daze, staggering and stumbling forward with only Miranda's hand on his back to guide him. He could barely make out Shepard's armored form in front of him, firing her shotgun left and right at the bloodthirsty creatures which were throwing themselves into her path, eager to sink their fangs and talons into her flesh. She seemed to be holding her own incredibly well, blasting apart any enemies in her way and even punching one in the face, lifting it off its feet and sending it crashing through the glass of one of the cells. Many of the creatures which Shepard had shot were still alive, writhing on the ground and attempting to get back on their feet. Some even took a swipe at Isaac as he ran past, although none of their clumsy attacks managed to hit their intended target. Miranda and Garrus ignored the fallen creatures, focusing instead on dispatching those which were coming at the group from the sides and the rear.

The Turian's impressive marksmanship was on full display, sniping target after target even while on the move, his movements so fluid and his accuracy so perfect that it was insane to watch. Bring up rifle, aim through scope. Squeeze trigger. Head shot. Head shot. Head shot.

Isaac had reacted with disbelief when Miranda holstered her sub-machine gun and raised a hand in response to a creature's crazed charge. It all made sense a few seconds later when she glowed a brilliant blue and telekinetically flung the monstrosity into the opposite wall with bone-crushing force, all with just a simple wave of her hand. 'She's a biotic,' Isaac realized.

Shepard expertly led her squad through the hospital's maze-like asylum, carving a bloody path through the darkened, chaotic hallways with her bullets and fists. They rounded corner after corner and everywhere Isaac looked, he could see only twisted monsters, death and destruction. They were doing a terrific job so far of keeping the attacking creatures at bay, but he was getting extremely concerned about the sheer number of them which were now converging upon their position, drawn like a massive swarm of bees to honey. The sweet nectar was, of course, the delicious blood flowing through their veins. His greatest fear was that Shepard would take a wrong turn and lead them all into a dead end, where the huge horde of creatures behind them would finally catch up and rip them all apart.

His hearing had recovered somewhat, allowing him to make out other sounds and noises such as Shepard's commands to her squad, bursts of gunfire, the bloodcurdling howls of the monsters and a looping message being broadcast over the hospital's PA system.

"Attention. Evacuation in progress. Evacuation in progress. Please consult your RIG for the nearest exit," the female-sounding synthetic voice announced calmly, completely oblivious to the fact that they now had more than thirty murderous monsters snapping at their heels. Isaac stole a quick look backwards and immediately regretted it; their pursuers formed a terrifying tidal wave of writhing bodies, pushing and shoving against one another, all of them screaming loudly for their blood.

"We're almost there!" Shepard shouted over her shoulder as they made another turn into a relatively empty hallway. Isaac's spirits lifted upon seeing an arrow and the words 'to secure area' written in thick block letters on a sign above a large set of doors at the end of the hallway. There was nothing in their way except for a few trolley beds and a bloodied and deformed corpse sitting hunched over on a wheelchair. They were going to make it!

The twisted shadows on the wall beside him gave Isaac the energy he needed to put on a final burst of speed and make the mad dash down the hallway. Panting hard, lungs burning and with the blood pounding in his ears, Isaac almost threw himself through the doors after Shepard, relief flooding through his entire body. He spun around, doubled over with his hands on his knees and watched as Miranda made it through as well. Despite his immense dislike for the biotic, a small part of Isaac was glad that she was safe. Miranda had protected him several times during their harrowing escape after all. It was only when Garrus tried to run past the wheelchair-bound corpse that their luck finally ran out and disaster struck.

The 'dead' body's grotesque, skinless head suddenly jerked upwards, making all the color drain from Isaac's face and causing his heart to skip a beat. Screaming like a banshee, the reanimated corpse leapt out of the wheelchair with inhuman speed and pounced on the unsuspecting Turian sniper, sinking its elongated teeth into his unarmored neck and violently tackling him to the ground. Not content with just trying to rip out his throat, the creature swung its arm downwards and stabbed a sharp piece of bone into Garrus' shoulder, effortlessly penetrating the armor and causing thick spurts of blue Turian blood to erupt out of the wound.

"GARRUS!" Shepard cried out in horror, screaming his name as the creature withdrew its bloody bone spike from the Turian's body and drove it back in repeatedly with a terrible crunching sound, spraying a terrifying amount of blood across the floor.

The sight of Garrus getting torn to pieces made her lose it completely. The furious redhead set upon the attacking creature with a vengeance and began to ruthlessly and mercilessly bludgeon it into oblivion with her shotgun, screaming and shouting vicious curses with every powerful swing she made. "Let! Him! Go! You! Motherfucker!" Her face was contorted into an angry snarl and the flecks of blood landing on it gave her an almost feral appearance. It was a terrible sight indeed, to watch Shepard lose control and give in to her bloodlust. How many of her enemies had met a similar fate, crushed into a bloody pulp by the goddess of war?

Isaac cringed inwardly, terrified by Shepard's brutality as her ferocious attacks broke the corpse's back with a sickening snap. He immediately wished that he could forget the sight of shattered sections of spine bursting through diseased and decaying skin, accompanied by an extremely generous serving of gore. The lower half of the creature immediately went limp, effectively severed from the rest of its body. The impact was so strong that it also destroyed Shepard's shotgun, causing it to shatter into several pieces. The barrel, stock and other weapon parts went flying in all directions, distracting her long enough for the creature to land a solid blow on her face. Its other arm, also tipped with a serrated bone blade, sliced open a deep vertical gash all the way down from the top of Shepard's left eyebrow to the corner of her mouth.

"Son of a bitch!" Shepard howled, crashing to the floor with both hands clamped tightly over her left eye. Fresh red blood was streaming out of the gaps between her fingers, and Isaac didn't need to be a combat medic to know that the injury she had just sustained was probably quite severe. To make matters even worse, Isaac could see the rest of the creatures skidding around the corner at the far end of the hallway, slamming into the walls and each other as their momentum carried them forward and their deformed feet slipped and struggled to find purchase on the slick, blood-soaked tiles. However, the delay was only temporary and the twisted monstrosities quickly regained their footing, beginning a frenzied charge en masse toward the four survivors.

Raw, unbridled panic gripped at Isaac with its icy talons. He had not felt so terrified and helpless before in his entire life. They were running out of time! With Shepard out of commission and Garrus fighting for his life against the undead creature, straining to keep a set of bone-crushing jaws from closing around his neck, Miranda was the squad's sole remaining combatant. The biotic was wielding both her heavy pistol and sub-machine gun at the same time, putting bullet after desperate bullet into the approaching horde and the crippled corpse lying at her feet, all to little and practically no effect. Despair was written all over her perfect features and Isaac saw her lips move, whispering "Oh my God."

He could hear defeat in every syllable.

With the danger and desperation threatening to overwhelm him, something stirred deep within the darkest recesses of Isaac's mind. Without him realizing it, another mental block had just been overcome, this time unlocking his suppressed survival instincts. Before Isaac really knew what was happening, he had already leapt into the fray, shoving Miranda out of the way and directing her attention to a large glass panel on the wall beside the doors, surrounded by yellow and black warning markings. A bright red lever was housed in a small alcove behind the glass, on which 'in case of emergency, break glass' was written. How appropriate.

"Pull that lever!" Isaac bellowed, wrapping his arms around the corpse's neck and putting it into a chokehold. "Close the doors!"

Miranda gave him a frightened and confused look, completely taken aback by the sudden transformation in his character. "HURRY UP! DO IT!" Isaac roared, pulling and straining with all his might as the undead monster caught in his grip thrashed and flailed about wildly. Isaac swore when one of the creature's blades raked across his thigh, cutting a red line across it and making fire shoot up his leg. He swore yet again when another sharp stab of pain made him aware of the thing's jaws clamped tightly around his forearm. "Alright asshole..." Using strength that he didn't even know he possessed, Isaac hoisted the bloody corpse up into the air and flipped it over his shoulder with a loud yell, following it up with a violent stomp on its neck. It broke with a loud and satisfying crunch. Out of the corner of his eye, Isaac observed Miranda shattering the glass panel with her heavy pistol and feverishly gripping the red lever with her trembling hands. She turned to look at him, giving him a nod of confirmation. Timing his next action carefully, Isaac picked up the broken body and flung it out of the room like a sack of garbage, just as Miranda pulled the lever downwards with all her might.

It was beautiful. The doors snapped shut, crushing the corpse between two thick sheets of metal. Blood splattered messily all over his white patient garb but Isaac didn't care. It was over. The adrenaline was wearing off and he suddenly felt tired and breathless. Once again moving like he was in a daze, Isaac stumbled backwards until his back hit the cool metal of the doors. He let out a loud sigh of relief and rested his throbbing head against it, squeezing his eyes shut. It was all over-

Sparks suddenly exploded around him and a terrible screeching sound made Isaac scream in shock and leap away from the doors as though the metal had just set him on fire. Two twisted arms had shoved their way through the door and were slowly pulling them apart. As the gap widened, so did Isaac's eyes and mouth. The top half of a hideous creature came through next, fixing Isaac with a look of pure hatred. Sunken eyes stared at him from a face dried tight over the creature's skull and a disgusting mixture of blood and pus leaked out of every orifice. In places the desiccated skin had torn so that the skull could be seen, making its appearance even more horrifying. The monstrous, undead travesty of a Human being roared in Isaac's face and lurched forward, leaping at him with its slashing blades raised. Just as they were about to lodge themselves into his head, the door abruptly snapped shut once again and the metal jaws claimed another victim.

The damage however, had already been done. The monster's attack, so very similar to his first traumatic encounter with its kind on the USG Ishimura all those years ago, was the stimulus that his tortured mind sorely needed in order to break through the mental blocks put in place by Cerberus. Isaac fell to his knees as all of his suppressed memories returned in full force, his mind feeling like it was being split apart. The torrent of information, memories and data continued without any signs of stopping or slowing down. Something warm trickled down from his nose and Isaac could taste blood as it flowed into his open, gasping mouth. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of mental agony, it stopped.

His mind was his own again. He could remember everything. Aegis VII, the Ishimura, the necromorphs, the Red Marker, the terror and the screaming, everything. Isaac could recall every single horrifying detail, remember every single necromorph that he had killed and was almost killed by. He could remember all those who died around him while he alone survived. Most of all, he could remember the malevolent shade which was haunting him, trying to break him and drag him down the last few steps into the hellish pit of insanity.

Nicole.


End file.
